Running Out of Pain
by XNegAttentionX
Summary: Jack's past and present intertwine when he meets the only person who can truly understand his pain. JackOC
1. Misfits

Jack walked into the detention room for the fourth time that week. Sitting at the teacher's desk at the front of the room was Mr. Johnson, an old balding man with a bad attitude who had given up on teaching his students long ago. Jack walked over to his usual desk, since he had practically claimed it since he was there nearly every school day and sometimes Saturdays. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, it was just that he refused to take anyone's bullshit, and being the youngest Mercer brother didn't help since it was the same teachers who had taught his older brothers.

As he took his seat in the back corner of the room other students began to fill in. The room had begun to fill up completely and the buses outside the window began to pull away. The last bell rang out and Mr. Johnson pulled out the list of names of the detention attendees, not needing to call out the names, already knowing who was who by heart.

Jack opened his ever present composition notebook and began to scribble words into it as the door was thrown open and a girl who couldn't name, but looked familiar rushed into the room.

"Miss Leary, late for class and detention," Mr. Johnson said.

"I wouldn't want to be inconsistent," she replied, grinning at him sweetly.

"Go take a seat."

"With pleasure," she said, sarcastically.

The girl rolled her eyes and sat down next to Jack, the only available seat, and threw her bag onto the floor. Jack looked up from his notebook and over at her, smirking. He had seen her around, was even in a few of her classes, but she barely said two words let alone talked back to a teacher before. She wasn't quiet in a way that made it seem like she didn't have time for people under her radar or even in a shy way. It was more a quiet in the sense that if she just kept to herself everything would just go smoother.

"What'd you do?" Jack whispered.

"Tardiness," she whispered back. "I don't think we're supposed to talk."

"Okay, we'll talk when he's gone. In about five minutes he's going to get up and say he's going to get a cop coffee, he'll tell us _misfits_ to behavior ourselves and he won't return until five minutes before the end of detention," he replied. He placed his head on his open notebook and closed his eyes so that it looked like he was sleeping.

Barely five minutes later Mr. Johnson did just as Jack said he would and left. Instantly, cigarettes, lighters, and boom boxes hidden inside backpacks appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Jack lifted his head from his desk and turned toward her, holding out his hand.

"Jack Mercer," he said.

She looked at him, summing him up. He had gorgeous blue eyes that expressed an aged characteristic to them that made her believe he had seen more than most youths should have. He had a crinkled smile, wrinkles around his lips made it seem like he had only learned how to use his smile and was already wearing it out. On his chin was a small ink mark, probably from when he rested his head in his notebook and small hairs that showed he was just learned how to shave. Looking down at his hands, she noticed the soft looking skin on his palm and the harsh, calluses on his finger tips.

If not by name, then by reputation, she knew who he was. They had at least one class a year together since middle school, but they had never spoken. It wasn't that she was afraid of him, though the surname Mercer was rather infamous, it's just that she had never figured a reason why she should talk to him. He seemed nice enough, but she didn't deem him trustworthy enough.

"I know who you are," she replied, not taking his hand.

"Ouch," he said, pulling his unshaken hand away and placing back on the desk. "I know who you are, too. You're Bella or something like that." He thought for a moment and then slammed his hand down on his desk in realization. "Isabelle Leary."

"We've had class together for like six years and yet that still shocks me that you knew that much," she said.

"You know, you're always so quiet that I thought you were nice. Then you come in, talk back to the teacher and I started thinking that you were _nice_, but now I realize I was wrong."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're rude."

"I'm not rude, I'm just having a bad day. Some freakin' pervert meathead jock-blocked me in the hallway and made late for my class so I got detention and I can't afford to be here."

"Why, afraid it will look bad on your permanent record?"

"No, I can't lose hours at my job," she admitted.

Jack was startled by this. He always thought she was from one of the middle class families in the town. Not because she dressed like she was, but just because of the way she held herself so properly.

"If you want I can show him what my fist looks like close up," Jack offered. Isabelle laughed softly, shaking her head. She had a pretty laugh, Jack thought. "Are you sure?"

"Thanks for the offer, but no thanks. I can handle him myself."

"Well, if you change you're mind I'm hear practically every Monday to Friday so you know where you can reach me."

"Or in our English class," she replied.

"Yeah, we do have English together, don't we? Homeroom too, right?"

Isabelle nodded and looked away from him. She reached into her bag and pulled out a large book, opening to it to a dog-eared page and silently read it to herself. Jack looked back down at his composition book and turned to a fresh page, starting to write something fervently. Six minutes before detention was over everyone sat back in their seats, put out their cigarettes and hid their boom boxes. Merely seconds after the clamor died down Mr. Johnson walked into the classroom, oblivious to what had been going on.

Smirking, Isabelle bit back at laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Jack looked over at her, smiling now, as well. Mr. Johnson looked down at the classroom filled with students and dismissed them with a shake of his hand.

"You made detention interesting," Jack said, running up to Isabelle, as she walked away.

"Thanks, I think," she replied.

"It was a compliment." He shoved his hands into his pockets, wishing he had picked up on one of his brother's ability to be calm in any situation. "So, are you gonna grace us with your presence anymore?"

"No, I am probably going to try to avoid it."

"Then how am I going to ever talk to you again."

"Maybe if you actually show up for class we can talk then," she suggested.

"Yeah, but it's not my style."

"Judging by your hair, I don't think you have much style," she joked.

"See, rude," he said. He continued walking alongside her. "So, where do you work?"

"At a diner. Helga's down on 3rd St."

"Oh, I know where that is. You want me to walk you there?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea," she replied. "It's just that it's a new job and if I show up saying that I had detention and I'm with a guy, I'm pretty sure they'll think that I was lying and just got back from making out with my boyfriend or something."

"Well, we can make that true if you want," he suggested, laughing.

"You're cute, but not that cute, Mercer."

Isabelle stood in front of the door and smiled at him, politely and then pushed it open. As she began to walk away she heard him call out to her. She turned around and waved goodbye and then disappeared into the rainy day.

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"What did you get in trouble for today, Jack?" Evelyn asked, as Jack walked into the house.

"Nothing, I just had some detentions from last week that I had to pay for this week, I overlapped apparently on the number of teachers who wanted to waste my time by making me sit in a classroom doin' nothin' for an hour and a hour. But I am all clear for tomorrow afternoon, as long as I don't get into trouble," he answered. He kissed her on the cheek and sat down across from her at the kitchen table. "It wasn't all that bad today, though."

"Why?"

"I got some more lyrics written," he said.

"Your writer's block is gone?"

"Yeah, detention had some great inspiration." He stood up and pushed his chair in. "I gotta go try to figure out some music."

"Okay, but don't lock yourself up in your room for too long, Bobby's coming home tomorrow and I need your help getting this house Bobby-proofed."

"Sure thing, mom," he said, running up the stairs.

As soon as he opened the door to his room he collapsed on his bed, grabbing his guitar and began to strum away the chords in his head.


	2. Kinesthetic Learning

**Thank you all for the kind reviews. I was pleasantly surprised because I hadn't thought anyone would review, let alone read, my story. Hopefully anyone who reads this chapter will enjoy it like the first one.  
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The bell rang signaling the end of the class and school for the week. Isabelle stood up, gathering up her belongings as Jack started to walk over to her. As he reached her Mr. Lemmiere, their English teacher, called him over to his desk. Isabelle gave Jack a sympathetic smile and walked out of the classroom. She rested against the row of lockers

"So what did Mr. Lemmiere need to talk to you about?" Isabelle asked.

"Nothing," Jack said, crumpling up the piece of paper and dropping it on the floor.

"Littering is bad, Mr. Mercer," she said, picking up the piece of paper. She it straightened out the paper and looked down at the glaring red 'F'. "I take it you're not doing so well in English."

"I guess not," he said. "He wants me to retake it during detention tomorrow."

"You have detention on Saturday?"

"Never call a teacher a fuckin' prick to his face," he replied. He looked over at her as she laughed. "Sorry for my language."

"Look, I'm not working today, I could go to the library and help you study. I mean, it's for the better of your future," she said. "Besides I kind of aced this test."

"You'd do that?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't have anything else planned on a Friday night," she said. She bit her lip and laughed. "Wow, it's official I am a geek."

"Well, then you're a cute one."

Isabelle laughed again and dismissed his comment. She grabbed his arm and loop hers around his, pulling him towards the double doors that lead the way out of the school. Jack made it a total of five feet before he stopped walking and looked over at Isabelle guiltily.

"What?"

"I can't go to the library," he said.

"Okay," she replied. She let go of his arm and shrugged softly. "I'll see you on Monday then."

"No, I mean, I do need your help, it's just that I can't go into the library. I'm kind of banned."

"How do you get banned from a library?" she asked.

"Improper use of a book for firewood," he admitted.

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"I told you this was a bad idea," he said, shutting the front door behind him. "There's not going to be one quiet moment, since my brother is back in town."

"My house is worse and you're banished from the library. There's no other option than your home," Isabelle replied.

"What's so bad about your house?"

"That's not really something I want to discuss," she said. She looked up at him apologetically. "Nothing against you, Jack, I just don't like talking about it."

"I understand."

Isabelle and Jack took their coats off and Jack hung them on the coat rack next to the door. Just as the began to walk out of the hallway Bobby came pounding down the stairs. He didn't noticed Isabelle who was standing beside Jack as he belligerently threw a ball of clothing at Jack. Jack threw it back at him and then took notice of the girl next to Jack. Bobby looked at Isabelle, summing her up and then took a step closer to her.

"Who the fuck are you?" Bobby asked.

"Who are you?" she replied.

"Bobby."

"Isabelle."

"You the fairy's girlfriend?"

"You mean, Jack?" she asked. She shook her head. "No, I'm his friend."

"Since when do you hang out with uptight chicks, Jackie, you ain't never gonna get laid that way."

"Bobby, watch it," Jack said.

"Nah, I can handle him," Isabelle said, resting her hand on Jack's arm. "You must be the maladroit brother who taught him how to set books on fire properly, which resulted in him getting kicked out of the library and us having no other place to study."

"Mala-what? That doesn't sound too nice," Bobby said.

"It wasn't meant to be." Isabelle turned to Jack and grabbed his books. "Come on, we need to get started."

"Yeah, let's go in there," Jack said, point into the other room.

Isabelle nodded and walked behind him as he walked into the living room. She sat down on the couch and instantly opened the book. Her wrist made a horrible cracking noise and she grabbed it in her free hand.

"What happened to your wrist?" Jack asked as he sat down in the chair across from the couch.

"Oh, I was walking my neighbor's Doberman and the thing pulled me to the ground. The leash got caught on my wrist the wrong way and pulled it too hard," she answered, looking down at the coffee.

"That sounds rehearsed," Jack said.

"Because a lot of people have asked."

"You know, my mother could look at it when she gets home, she's kind of handy with injuries. Has to be with the way my brothers play hockey," he suggested. "It wouldn't be a problem, I actually think she likes repairing wounds."

"Can we please move on to your test?" she asked. She was avoiding eye contact with him. "Mr. Lemmiere is giving you a second chance, which is rare. If you fail like last time you aren't going to pass his class."

"It's English. What's so important about it?"

"You speak English, Jack. Albeit poorly, but you still speak it. So I think it can be deemed pretty important," she said, laughing softly.

"I'm aware that I speak it, but English class is mostly reading books that I ain't ever gonna need to know about," he replied. "It just makes me feel stupid."

"You're not stupid and I'm going to try to help you, just tell me what you need help with."

"Everything."

Isabelle nodded and grabbed the test from her pocket. She placed it on the table and looked over the mistakes. Jack began to feel small, he hated her seeing how badly he screwed up but he knew that she wouldn't make fun of him. He found it odd that he and Isabelle had barely spoken to one another and yet she was so willingly to help him and he was so willing to let her.

"Did you read the story?" Isabelle asked.

"Yeah," he said, nodding. "But it was like fuckin' hieroglyphics. I didn't understand what the hell I was reading or what the people were saying."

"Come here," Isabelle said softly, patting the couch next to her. Jack obliged and she turned to face him. "Maybe you're not a reader, maybe you're an auditory learner."

"Which means?"

"Reading something won't help it stick in your mind, you have to hear it." Isabelle thought for a moment and turned to him. "Okay, say you read a newspaper article on a band you like. Then ten minutes later you hear their new song on the radio. What are you more likely to remember, the lyrics to the new song or the story of how they were formed."

"The song."

"See you learn through hearing things." She grabbed the book and placed it on his lap. "Read it out loud, it might help you remember it."

"Isabelle-"

"Yeah, Cracker Jack, read it out loud," Bobby joked, walking into the living room.

"First of, Bobby, could you please leave the room while we're studying? And secondly, you do realize you're white so calling Jack a 'cracker' isn't exactly effective," Isabelle said. She smiled with fake sweetness and grabbed the book back from Jack as Bobby left the room. "Here, why don't I read the parts that you're going to need to know?"

"Sure."

Isabelle flipped through the book, stopping on certain passages and reading them aloud. Jack had to admit to being slightly distracted by her voice, but she was right, he did seem to retain what was going on from the story better. After hour of reading Isabelle had pointed out all the necessary points and what they meant, confident that Jack would at least past. She placed the book on the table and smiled at Jack. She insisted that she ask questions off the old test to see if any knowledge had been retained. It had.

"See, you're an auditory learner just as I suspected."

"Auditory…What other kinds are there?"

"Visual and kinesthetic."

"Visual as in sight, I understand that, but what's kine…Whatever that last one you said was."

"Kinesthetic. It means that people learn best through hands-on approaches. They have to touch and explore things to understand them," she said.

"Touch and explore…" Jack repeated. "Like, how they wouldn't know what soft was if it was described in a story, they would have to touch something soft to understand."

"I don't quite get what you're saying."

"Say I said or wrote that your lips were as soft as rose petals to someone with who had this kinesthetic learning process they wouldn't understand, they would have to physically feel your lips to understand it, right?"

"I guess so."

Jack smiled and reached out, pressing his thumb to her lips. She didn't move away and he took it as an okay to move forward. He leaned towards her, his lips about to brush hers when the door to the house swung open and the sound of things dropping to the floor startled them and Isabelle pulled away quickly.

"Bobby, must you park your car and take up half the road. Mrs. Johnson down the street had me outside in the cold complaining about you and your car," Evelyn said, walking into the house. Evelyn walked into the living room and noticed Jack and Isabelle sitting on the couch. "Oh, I am so sorry."

"It's alright," Isabelle said, standing up. "You must be Mrs. Mercer, Jack's mother."

"Dear, it's Eveyln," she replied. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I know your name."

"Isabelle Leary, I know Jack from school."

"She's helping me with English," Jack added.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, Isabelle. Why don't you stay for dinner? Jack never brings any friends home."

"It's a generous offer, but I should get home now," she said. She walked over to the table and grabbed her stuff.

"I'm just gonna walk Isabelle out," Jack told Evelyn, following Isabelle to the door.

Isabelle grabbed her coat off of the rack and threw it on and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She turned towards Jack and smiled as if to say sorry and went to walk out the door. He lightly held onto her shoulder, keeping her facing him.

"What about our lesson in kinesthetic learning?" he asked.

"I guess you should just be glad that you're an auditory learner." She smiled and readjusted her backpack on her shoulder. "Good night, Jack."

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If you like it, please review. If you don't like it, please tell me what I can do to improve. I am completely up to suggestion. All I can ask is that you don't be too harsh, I'm still a newbie at this. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. **


	3. The Time It Takes To Fall

**Wow...Got even more reviews...Surprised greatly by this and thank you for taking your time to read this. This chapter essentially is a filler with some importance for the next one. So read and review it, even though it's not up to par. Oh, and I took the chapter title from a song by Adam Pascal.  
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The door of the Helga's diner opened with a soft ringing of the bell that hung onto it. Jack took a few steps inside, glancing around it for Isabelle. He noticed her standing by a table, smiling politely and taking an order from an elderly couple. Jack walked over to the empty table just next to it, Isabelle didn't notice. As she went to walk away she dropped the menus and when she went to pick them up, she noticed him.

"What are you doing here?" Isabelle asked.

"I came to see you."

"Well, you've seen me," she said, turning away. "Now leave."

"You confuse me," Jack admitted, standing up and following behind her as she walked to the counter by the kitchen.

"Okay."

"One minute, we're friends, the next you act like there's a possibility of more."

"I never-"

"You almost kissed me."

"I did no such thing."

"Oh, yes you did."

"No, I didn't. I merely didn't try to push you away when you tried to kiss me. With the lamest line in the world, might I add."

"What are you talking about, there was no line," Jack said.

"Excuse me, but what is 'Say I said or wrote that your lips were as soft as rose petals'?" she asked, mocking him. "If that isn't a line then I don't know what is."

"I was just trying to think of an example that I could use and you were pouting your lips so much that night that they were the first thing that popped into my head," he tried to explain.

Isabelle ignored him, shaking her head softly. She walked behind the counter, placing the table's order on the rack and then turning back around so that she could begin to clean the counter. As she threw the rag onto it, Jack sat down, watching her intently. He was going to break her silence.

Reaching into his pocket, Jack pulled out a cigarette and a lighter. Isabelle looked over at him disapprovingly, despite being in the smoking section, and he put it away. He started to drum on the counter top, catching the edge of the rag beneath his hand and held it. Isabelle tried to pull it away, but he refused to let go.

"I know you think you're being playful but in all actuality, you're just being an ass," she said.

"What's the problem with that?" he asked, blinking his puppy dog eyes at her. "I happen to think I have a very cute ass. I get tons of compliments on it."

Laughing softly, Isabelle regained control of the rag and finished cleaning the counter. He leaned over the counter so that his face was near hers.

"What?"

"When do you get off?" he asked. "I thought that maybe we could go and do something to celebrate."

"Celebrate what?"

"I took my test in detention today. I got an eighty-two."

"That's great," she said, genuinely happy for him. "I just don't think that it's such a good idea for us to go and celebrate. Sorry."

"Come on, Belle." He leaned over the counter more, his stomach resting on it. "I think it's a great idea."

"Get off the counter, Jack. I'm going to have to clean it again."

"Tell me why it's not a good idea."

"Because I just don't think it's a good idea," she replied. "I just don't see you that way."

"Bullshit."

Turning away, Isabelle started to walk away, but Jack grabbed her hand, causing him to almost fall over the counter completely. He pulled her over to him, but she resisted. He was stronger than she was so she was at his mercy. He tried to kiss her when her hand flew at him, knocking him off the counter.

"Shit!" he yelled as he landed.

"Don't you ever try something like that again, Mercer!" She grabbed a cup of ice and dumped it on his crouch. "Cool the hell off and get out!"

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Thank You To:  
Aly K (I'm sorry she's not too nice to Bobby, but it's all in good fun.)  
athena moraliasx  
Embry  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (Again, you are far too kind!)  
i run with scissors  
pwrhungryjr  
ThornInYourSide09  
xtaintedimage (Finally you reviewed! And yes, you are right. After I reread that section I noticed it as well.)  
As well as anyone who reviewed that I may have forgotten.**


	4. Fun In The Kitchen and The Bathroom

**I am posting this chapter rather quickly after the last chapter for two reasons. 1) It's just sitting it the documents bin doing nothing and 2) I need a bit of help. I have this chapter written and the chapter after the next one, but not the next one (I don't write in order...It's odd, but it's the way I write) and I need help to create the bridge between the two chapters I do have written. If anyone would like to help me with it by suggesting something please do so...It would be greatly appreciated...Thank you. I think people will be pleased with the ending to this chapter. At least I hope you all will. Hopefully this long note didn't scare you off so you may go on and read.  
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It was a week after the incident at the diner and Isabelle and Jack hadn't spoken. He saw her everyday in class but they never made an effort to speak to one another. Whether it was out of embarrassment or the fact that Jack now knew that Isabelle didn't share they way he felt about her for him. Sometimes, during class, he would look up from his book and over at her. Either she didn't notice or she didn't care. Jack felt a knot in his stomach every time, realizing he messed up something he had that was good. Even if it was only friendship.

"Jack, what are you wearing?" Evelyn asked, as Jack came down in his torn up pajama bottoms and a hockey Jersey he had inherited from Bobby.

"Clothes," he answered. He looked up at her, shrugging. "What's the big deal, you're making me bake, I'm just gonna get dirty anyway."

"Oh, come on, Jackie, you know you love doing all this girly work," Bobby said, ruffling Jack's already messy hair.

"Shut the f-"

"Language boys," Evelyn cut in. She looked over at Bobby, shaking her head softly. "Don't you have a train to catch?"

"Yeah, but I just wanted to see Jackie boy's face here when you told him who you invited to your little Saturday morning bake-a-thon."

"Invited?" Jack asked, looking up his mother. "What's he talkin' about?"

"I invited your friend over," she replied, simply. She turned away from him, reaching into the cabinet to grab a bowl. "She seemed nice."

"She? She who?"

"That Isabelle girl who was helping you in English."

Bobby laughed and Jack hit him hard in the stomach. He stood up and walked over to Evelyn, sitting up on top of the counter, so that he could get a glimpse of her as they spoke.

"When did you see her?"

"I happened upon her diner after work and invited her."

"Was this before or after last Saturday?"

"It was last night." She shut the cabinet and turned towards him. "Does it matter?"

"I'm going to go get dressed."

Jack jumped down from the counter and ran up the stairs to his room, leaving Booby and Evelyn in the kitchen. Bobby laughed and Evelyn looked over at him.

"Do you know something that I don't?" she asked.

"Last Saturday, Jack went over to see Isabelle, acting like he was hot shit and got a slap in the face from her and a bowl of ice on his nuts," Bobby replied.

"Bobby!"

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The doorbell rang and Jack raced to the door before Bobby could answer it. He threw the door open and Isabelle was standing there in the doorway. She smiled politely, waiting for him to let her in, but he stood there, not saying anything.

"Jack, this is the part where you move aside and let me into the house," she said, softly.

"Oh, sorry," he said. "Come in."

Isabelle took a step into the hallway and took her jacket off and hung it up. Jack was standing in front of the door waiting for her to finish before he walked away. She glanced back at him and smiled. She motioned towards his nose, but he didn't understand.

"Come here," Isabelle instructed. Jack took a step closer to her and she reached out, wiping some flour off his nose. "I can see you're a hands-on baker. Not just the type of guy who just reaps the benefits of his mother slaving over an oven all day. It's cute."

Jack nodded and walked into the kitchen. He knew acted like an idiot, it was apparent even to him, but it was an improvement. So far, she hadn't run away from him while he acted like a drooling zombie and she had yet to hit him. So, it was all good.

"Hello Miss Mercer," Isabelle said, walking into the kitchen.

"Call me Evelyn, sweetie," she insisted. "Now that I have an extra pair of hands things should go faster."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I am not a good cook at all. I might actually make it take longer," she admitted.

"Even better, I'll finally get to know one of my Jackie's friends," she said. She pointed to a blue mixing bowl on the counter. "Go ahead and start."

Isabelle as she was told and brought it back to the table. She read the instructions, not exactly sure what she was doing, but attempting as Evelyn asked her questions. Jack was at the opposite end of the kitchen from Isabelle, listening to his mother and her talk, but not getting involved. After thirty minutes of this Evelyn excused herself and headed upstairs to get something.

"I'm sorry about the way I acted the other day," Isabelle said, not looking up from the stuff she was stirring and breaking the silence. "I was just having a really horrible day and I took it out on you. Plus, I don't really like being grabbed."

"Honestly, I think I kind of deserved it. I wasn't exactly tactful and I was raised better than that…At least for the better part of my life," Jack said, his voice lower at the second half of the sentence.

Jack looked back at Isabelle and she smiled at him, taking her time as she looked up at him. He looked away from her gaze, slightly embarrassed by how intense her eyes were. She walked over to him, taking over a section of the counter. She playfully bumped her hip against his, trying to get his attention.

"Does this look right to you?" she asked, making a face at the concoction in the bowl.

"What did you do to it?" Jack asked, laughing. He took the spoon out of her hand and held it up, the much too liquid batter easily sliding off the spoon. "It looks like sewer water."

"Hey," she said.

"Finally, you have a flaw," he replied, pretending to be amazed. "You cannot cook to save your life."

Isabelle slapped him on the shoulder good-naturedly and grabbed the spoon back from him. She threw it into the bowl, splashing the contents onto Jack's face and shirt. She started to laugh at the sight of Jack splattered in the liquid gray-brown substance that was supposed to be batter. She tried to stifle her laughs but found it hard.

"Well, as disgusting as it looks, it tastes even worse," he said, wiping the batter off of his face. He looked down at the bowl, sticking his fingers into it and advancing on Isabelle. "I think you should try it."

"No, I really don't see the necessity in that."

Jack ran his hand across his cheek, smearing it on her skin. She yelped and pushed him away, accidentally knocking the bowl upward into Jack's chest. As she backed away the empty bowl fell to the floor with a clang and the liquid dripped down the front of his chest onto his pants. Isabelle laughed and Jack began to walk closer to her, trapping her in the corner.

"This was my favorite shirt," he said, faking seriousness.

"Send me the dry cleaning bill, then," she replied, trying to keep a straight face.

"No, you see, it deserves a punishment much more severe than a bill."

"I don't think so," Isabelle said. "It was an honest accident."

"Sure it was."

Jack playfully grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her up against him, smearing the mess onto her shirt. She tried pulling away, but it just made a bigger mess. She laughed as the goop got on her neck due to their height differences and he let her go. He looked down at her, amused by his work and smirked.

"You are such an ass," she said, unable to hide her amusement.

"Haven't we gone over this already, I know I have a cute ass," he replied.

"I know too," she whispered, leaning up to his ear. She smiled and bit down on his earlobe softly.

"Wh-"

"Oh, my," Evelyn said, looking at the mess from the doorway but not noticing the two of them. "Jack, what have you done to my kitchen?" She caught a glimpse of Isabelle's state after she had pulled away from Jack and focused on her. "What have you done to poor Isabelle?"

"Yes, Jack, explain to your mother what you did to me," Isabelle said, smiling innocently.

"Don't put the whole blame on me, Isabelle," he said.

"I am not doing any such thing, I was merely asking you to explain to your mother why I am covered in this concoction that I was making so quietly at the table."

"Oh, well…I was saving the family from food poisoning," Jack answered.

Isabelle cracked up, burying her face in her hands. Jack looked over at Evelyn, who hadn't been able to resist smiling. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed the nearest sponge, instantly trying to clean up the mess.

"Let me help," Isabelle said, pushing Jack away so that she could get out of the corner he had blocked her in.

"No, you will do no such thing," Evelyn said. "You are a guest. Anyway, you should go take a shower." She glanced up at Jack and pointed him into the hallway. "Jack, go show Isabelle where everything is. Then, you go use the other bathroom and get cleaned up…You look like you rolled around in mud."

Jack nodded and grabbed Isabelle's hand as he led her out of the kitchen. He jogged up the staircase, being careful to make sure he wasn't going to fast for her and directed her into the bathroom.

"The towels are in the closet right by the shower," he said.

"Thanks."

Jack started to walk away from the bathroom when Isabelle called out to him. He turned around to see her sticking her head out the doorway, an apologetic smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, where did you say that towels were again?" she asked.

Jack walked into the bathroom and pointed towards the closet by the shower. Isabelle shut the door behind him and as he went to leave, she grabbed his hand and kept him by her. Jack smiled at her, realizing what she had done. He leaned towards her and she didn't back away. He was covered in Isabelle's failed attempt at baking, as was she, but somehow he made it look attractive. She smiled at him, wishing he would close the gap between the two of them. Slowly, he moved closer to her. He was so close to her that she could practically feel his lips on hers when he pulled away slightly.

"You're not going to hit me again are you?" he asked, smiling.

"Shut up," Isabelle answered, shaking her head.

Smiling, Jack started to kiss her. His lips gently swept across hers and she couldn't help but smile as well. He ran his hand through her hair and lightly pushed her up against the door. She hadn't imagined it would feel so good to kiss him, but it was undeniably great. His kisses were soft and sweet, never invasive or rough. She let go of his hand and ran hers through his messy mane and down his neck, pressing her hand there to keep him near her. His lips diverted from her lips and slowly led a trail down her neck to her shoulder. Jack pushed her shirt from her shoulder and continued to kiss her. She let out a little sigh and then pushed him away.

"I have to take a shower," Isabelle whispered, pressing her forehead against his.

"I do too," he said. He smiled and mumbled, "A cold one."

"Very funny," she replied. She kissed him on the cheek softly and pushed him out of the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

Isabelle rested her back against the door and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Red marks on her neck were present where Jack had kissed her and her hair was a mess. She bit her lip softly, still tasting reminants of him on them. She shoved a shaky hand through her hair as she walked over to the shower, turning the water on.

"What am I doing?" she asked herself.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
If it's a bit on the sappy side, I'm sorry...Movie night with friends consisted of some pretty cheesy chick flicks this week.  
Thanks to the people who reviewed chapter 3 and read this one.  
You know the drill, please review!**


	5. Jack's First Groupie

**This is the filler chapter before a chapter that actually has some important detail. Read this one anyway, it's a cute little chapter for Jack and Isabelle lovers. I promise, soon enough, this lovey dovey sappinesswill go away and I'll get into the story and the reason(s) for the rating. So just bare with me. (And you Jack andI Isabelle fans, don't worry,theromancewon't be completely gone, it will just be more plot-centric.) Also, this fluffy piece came to me at like three in the morning... But thank you anyway to ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr for offering to help!  
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"Isabelle, there are clothes waiting outside the door for you," Jack said, after Isabelle had gotten out of the shower.

"Thanks," she replied.

She waited until she heard his footsteps leading away before she opened the door. She stuck her head out the door, clutching to the towel wrapped around her body and then grabbed the clothing. Holding it out in front of her she couldn't help but laugh. They were obviously Jack's. He was the only guy in the house who could wear something so small and something with pink writing. She threw the clothes on carelessly and grabbed the dirty ones, walking back into the kitchen where Jack was sitting at the table, clean, and Evelyn was taking something out of the oven.

"Can I have a bag to put these in?" Isabelle asked.

"Just give them to me, I'll throw them in the wash real quick," Evelyn said, walking over to her. "It's easier for me to wash them before you go home as than it is for you to wash them when you go home."

"I don't want you to do anymore work because of the mess Jack and I made," she said.

"No worries, I have to throw his in, too, so it's really no problem."

Evelyn grabbed the clothes from Isabelle and walked into another room. Isabelle walked into the kitchen, taking a seat across from Jack, who smiled slyly. She laughed at his expression and slowly slid her chair closer to his, resting her feet in his lap. He smiled secretly at her as Evelyn walked back into the kitchen.

"It looks like most of the work in here is done," Evelyn said, looking at the two of them. She could tell something was going on, but she wasn't going to blow their cover. "Why don't you two find something to do while the clothes are being washed?"

"Come on, I'll show you my room," Jack suggested.

Isabelle stood up and walked over to Jack. The two of them ran up the stairs and into Jack's room. They heard Evelyn yell from the bottom of the stairs to leave the door open, just as Jack was shutting it.

"I wanna show you something," he said, excitedly.

"Shouldn't you listen to your mother?" Isabelle asked, taking a seat on his bed.

"Come on, like we'd do anything wrong while she was downstairs," he replied, smiling. "She just says that as a formality because my brother Angel and his psycho girlfriend Sofi have no shame and would do it wherever and whenever they can."

"Okay, nasty," she said.

Jack knelt down on the floor beside his armoire and rummaged through a stack of papers, trying to find something. Isabelle laughed as he dig through the pile carelessly. It was another flaw that made him cute, he had no organizational skills. He found a notebook and held it up triumphantly, it must have been the thing he was looking for. He placed it on the bed, beside Isabelle and then grabbed his guitar.

"You're a musician?" Isabelle asked. "That explains the calluses on your fingers. As well as your pseudo-star style."

I've been playing since I was twelve. And what's with your attacks on my style? You know you love it," he told her. He took a seat next to Isabelle and flipped to a page in his notebook. "Wanna hear something?"

"Of course," she replied, smiling.

Jack began to strum some chords he had written in his notebook, there looked like there were words written, but his hand writing incomprehensible. She listened to the way he strummed his guitar, the music coming out so soft and smooth that it transcended the need for words. She looked up at him, the way he focused on his guitar and how his eyes lit up when he played. As he finished and the last note vibrated from the strings he looked up at her and smiled.

"I've never played for anyone before," he admitted.

"Then I'm really lucky," she replied. She moved closer to him, resting her hand on his neck and playfully brushing his hair away from his neck. "Does that mean I'm like your first groupie?"

"Yeah, pretty much," he agreed, laughing.

"I like that."

Isabelle leaned towards him, replacing her hand on his neck with her lips. He placed the guitar on the floor by the bed and pulled her closer to him, to the point where she was almost sitting in his lap.

"Isabelle, you're clothes are done!" Evelyn called up.

Pulling away from Jack, Isabelle stood up and started to leave the room.

"You're just gonna leave me like that?" Jack asked.

"My clothes are done and I can finally get out of yours, so yeah, I am gonna leave you like that," she mocked.

"Don't groupies usually do a little bit more?" he asked, playfully.

"Not the type of groupie that I am."

Jack groaned and fell backwards on his bed. He watched Isabelle leave the room and couldn't help but smile.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
Thank Yous (chapters 3 & 4):  
Aly K (There is totally more than just the romance aspect to it...So you are completely right about something telling you there's more to it)  
Athena xOH (Yes, I suppose Isabelle does have slight mood swings...Okay, disastrous mood swings...But they sure are fun)  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (I so love your pen name! Thanks again for the reviews!)  
i run with scissors  
Ophelia Hyde  
As well as anyone I may have forgotten.**


	6. Wannabe Rock Stars Look Hot In Aprons

**Another early post, hope nobody minds. It was just sitting in the document bin all lonely and by it's self (Okay,I am personifying a chapter...It's quite creepy, isn't it?). Just kidding. I am posting it early because I felt like it and because kind people reviewed (your thanks you are below).  
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Isabelle sat down on the counter, watching Jack cook one day after school. She reached out and grabbed the apron he had jokingly put on and pulled on it playfully. He looked up at her, smiling. He walked over to her, resting his body between the space her legs left on the edge of the counter.

"I love a man who can cook," Isabelle joked, cracking a grin.

"Oh, yeah?" Jack asked. He leaned closer to her so that his lips were merely an inch away from her ear. "How do you feel about wannabe rock stars who cook?"

"The only thing better than that is wannabe rock stars who cook and look good wearing aprons," she whispered to him. "You got it covered."

"You think it goes with my outfit?" he asked, lightheartedly.

Moving closer to her, Jack placed his lips against her neck, leaving a trail of kisses along her neck to her earlobe. She laughed and wrapped her legs around him. She rested her hands in his messy hair, running them through it gently. He pulled away, looking up into her eyes. Isabelle looked away, suddenly self-conscious, but he led her face back to his. He kissed her, keeping his eyes open the entire time so that he could look at her. As she opened her eyes, she was surprised that he was looking at her, his face so close. She leaned back a little, but felt him wrap one hand around the back of her head, smiling at her.

"I'm not interrupting something, am I?" Bobby asked.

Bobby had 'accidentally' missed his way out of town again and decided to stay in town for another week which turned into a month. Jack was almost positive that he was up to something not entirely legal, but Bobby refused to tell him anything.

"Yeah, ya are, now get out," Jack said. He turned so that he faced Bobby, but did not remove Isabelle's grip on his waist.

"Last time I checked, this was the kitchen, a place for food, not hanky panky," he replied, a smart ass smirk spread across his face. "Fuckin' teenagers."

"Fuck you, Bobby. Just because you couldn't get any in high school-"

"I'll have you know I got plenty of ass in high school."

"And you're not getting any ass," Isabelle said to Jack, hitting him on the back of the head lightly.

"Ha, ha fairy. You two been goin' out for a month and you still ain't gettin' any. What did I tell ya about datin' uptight chicks?" Bobby turned to Isabelle, who was glaring at him. "No offense to you, Izzy. I love ya, you know that."

"You know the last time I checked, I was handling your food," Jack warned. "What if I happened to drop it on the floor, accidentally of course, say four possibly five times?"

"Jack, I've been to prison that ain't nothing in comparison to the shit they serve there."

Laughing softly, Isabelle placed her head on Jack's shoulder, smiling up at Bobby. She wrapped her arms around Jack's chest, letting her legs drop down against the counter.

"Bobby, can you, for me, please let us have some time alone?" she asked, smiling.

"Sure, Izzy," he said, grabbing a beer from the fridge and walking out of the kitchen.

"How do you do that?" Jack asked, amazed. He turned back around to face her, smiling.

"Just like he said, Bobby loves me," she replied. She reached out and gently ran her hand across his check, adoring the dimples he always got when he smiled. She leaned down and kissed him softly gently parting his lips with hers. "Are you almost done cooking?"

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to give the chef a really special tip," she whispered into his ear.

"That's not fair," he said. "I gotta stay here until it's all done."

"Too bad for you," she replied. She leaned towards him, kissing his neck, teasingly. "Bad for me too."

Jack moaned inwardly and moved closer to her again. He kissed her, leaning her back against the cabinet doors. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her fingers rest against his hair. She twirled a lock of his hair around her finger, gently tugging at it as he moved to her neck. She giggled, the heat from his breath tickling her skin.

"Can you wait two, three hours tops?" he asked.

"No, I don't think so," she admitted.

Isabelle pushed him away and slid off of the counter. Jack groaned as she walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch next to Bobby. The hockey game was on and Bobby was violently yelling and cursing at the screen. Isabelle laughed and joined in, but kept her eyes on Jack. He pouted at her, giving her his best impression of a puppy dog and silently begged her to come back into the kitchen.

Smiling, Isabelle stood up and walked back over to him. Wordlessly, she wrapped her arms around Jack. He reciprocated the gesture and pulled her up against him.

"Let me just finish this one last thing up," Jack whispered. "I can just say that I forgot about the rest. Like anyone else does shit around here."

Isabelle kissed his cheek softly and pulled away from him. She walked up the stairs, heading straight for his room. Jack went back to stirring what was on the stove top as Bobby stood up and walked into the kitchen.

"You two better not be doin' anything I'd object to while I'm watchin' ya," Bobby said, waving a finger at Jack.

"You're not watching us, you were just too drunk to get your ass up this morning and missed your train back home," Jack replied.

"Well, while I'm here you are under my care and you must obey my rules."

"Bullshit, Bobby."

Jack shut the burner off on the stove and ran the dirty utensil under the faucet. He turned towards Bobby, grinning, and stuck his tongue out at him. He walked out of the kitchen and headed upstairs.

"Oh, you will pay for that," Bobby whispered.

Jack opened his bedroom door and instantly Isabelle flew at him. He laughed as he managed to get the door shut just as she pushed him up against it. He wrapped his arms around her, getting her to sit down on the bed. Jack pressed his lips against her neck and bit down playfully. She pulled away and pushed him down on the bed and slowly rolled on top of him.

"Aggressive much?" he asked.

"What, you don't like?" she questioned, smiling.

"Actually, I like it very much," he answered. He leaned up towards her and rolled her over so that he was on top. "But I like it this way better."

Isabelle wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled Jack down so that their lips met. She loved the way he kissed her with all of his body. His lips did wonders on hers as his feet would wrap around hers, slowly sliding off her shoes and his hands gently, and welcomingly, roamed her body. She felt him pull away slightly, only to have him place his lips on her neck. Jack pushed the fabric of her shirt away from her shoulder and started to kiss it affectionately. Isabelle arched her back slightly, pushing herself into him. Jack pressed his hand into against her back and she yelped, quickly pulling away from him.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," she replied.

"What was that?" he questioned, gently getting her to sit up. Her shirt rode up a little in the back exposing a large bruise. "What's wrong with your back?"

"My back? It's just sore that's all."

"Belle, you have a huge bruise on it."

"Oh, I was in gym class and I fell flat on my back when I missed the ball," she replied. "It's not serious."

"It looks really bad," he said, pressing his hand against it.

"It looks worse than it is."

"Maybe you should get it looked at by a doctor."

"A doctor? That's not necessary."

"Then at least let my mom look at it."

"Jack-"

"It's either my mother or a doctor, Belle, you don't have any other options," Jack said, sternly. He was worried about her, Isabelle knew that was the only reason why he was acting that way.

"Okay, I'll let Evelyn look at it. But it's ending out little make-out session early," she informed him.

"I'll make up for it, I promise," he whispered, standing up.

Later on in the evening, whenEvelyn got home, Jack led Isabelle into the living room where his mother sat working on a knitting project.

"Is something wrong?" Evelyn asked, putting her work down on the coffee table in front of her.

"Belle's got a nasty bruise on her back," Jack said, holding onto her protectively. "I was wondering if you could check it out for us."

Isabelle looked up at Jack, surprised at his choice of words. Not 'me', 'her' or 'Isabelle' but rather 'us' as if the two of them were a 'they'. No longer separate entities. It scared Isabelle more than Jack probably realized one word could.

"Sure," Evelyn said, standing up. "Come with me to my room."

Isabelle and Jack followed behind her and when they reached the door Evelyn turned back towards them, smiling softly. She pried Jack's arms from Isabelle's waist and took Isabelle's hand into her own.

"Jack, go wait out in the living room, we need privacy."

Jack nodded and dejectedly ambled back into the living room. Evelyn pulled Isabelle into the room and sat her down on the bed as she walked into the adjoining bathroom, running a rag under cold water. She walked back into the room and hung the wet cloth over her arm.

"So where is this bruise?" Evelyn asked, as if she were talking to a small child.

Isabelle reached at the back of her shirt and slowly exposed her back. The bruise went from the small of her back up half of her spinal cord. Evelyn, pressed her hand to her mouth, trying to stifle the gasp that had come up. She reached out and carefully ran her hand along the ugly bruise and shook her head.

"What did you do?" she asked, gently pressing the cold cloth to the contusion.

"I fell in gym class when I went for the ball. I landed right on someone's shoes," she replied.

"Honey, it doesn't look like a bruise from a fall," she said, kindly. She turned Isabelle to face her. "Did somebody-"

"Miss Evelyn, it was a fall, that's it."

"What about your wrist?"

"My wrist is fine. I didn't hurt it."

"Jack told me your wrist was hurt when you came over that first day."

"It was from a dog."

"Was it?" Evelyn asked. "Your back looks bad beyond a simple fall. Isabelle, you can tell me anything."

"And I'm telling you it was a fall," she replied. She looked up at him Evelyn, barely blinking. "You believe me, right?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
People to thank as of now:  
Bigamericanflirt (I'm guessing you liked the bathroom scene in chapter 4...lol)  
Duchess4ever  
Embry  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr**

**By the way, if anyone didn't realize, this chapter takes place a month after the last one.**

**

* * *

** **  
_Disclaimer: I do not own anything except for Isabelle, Mr. Lemmiere and any other characters I wish to create. I do not own any of the Four Brothers characters, I am merely using them as my playthings until I get tired of them and throw them back into the toy chest like a little child. Get it? Got it? Good. Occasionally, I will usesong lyrics or titlesfrom bands (such as the story'stitle "Running Out of Pain" which is a song from 12Stones)this is not promotion and I do not own them, I just like them...Or hate them,depending on the context in which Iuse them. That is all.  
This is probably the only time I will write a disclaimer so, yeah, that's it. Refer to this chapter if you get confused...LOL._**


	7. Tension

Isabelle and Jack walked to the Mercer's silently. They had barely said two words to each other, but it was almost understood that after school, unless Isabelle had to work, the two of them would go back to his house. Usually she helped him with his homework and sometimes they just snuck up to his room to have a different kind of session. It was apparent what was going to happen today.

As they reach the third block from Jack's house the silence was unbearable. He reached out to grab onto to her arm, trying to keep her stationary and she swung her left hand at his face, slapping him harshly.

"What the fuck was that for?" Jack asked.

"Have you not learned yet? Don't touch me when I'm mad at you," she replied. She readjusted her bag on her shoulder and glared at him. "Well, speak, that is why you made me stop, right?"

"What is going on with you lately?" he questioned, pressing his hand to his cheek. "One day you like me, the next day you don't. I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth it anymore."

"You know what? I guess it's not if you're wondering about it."

Quickly, Isabelle started to walk away. Jack ran after her and made it in front of her so that she couldn't walk any further. He placed his hands on either shoulder and bent his knees so that he was shorter than her and could peer up into her eyes.

"Belle, I'm sorry, I didn't mean that," he replied. "I'm a guy I say stupid things sometimes."

"I'm still mad at you," she said.

"Okay, be mad at me, just tell me what I did."

"You overreacted about that damn bruise, Jack," Isabelle informed him. She looked down at the ground and wrapped her arms around herself. "I told you where I got it from but you still made this big deal over it, like you didn't believe me. What would I gain from lying to you?"

"Nothing, I know that. And yes, I overreacted, it just…It looked like the bruises my foster father used to give to me. I automatically assumed before I thought it through," Jack replied.

"Your foster father?"

"Evelyn's wasn't the first house that I went to. It was the fifth," he said. He looked at the area behind her, unable to look at her, knowing that if he did he would somehow be compelled to tell her everything just because of her eyes. He didn't want her to think of him as the poor little orphan boy. "I don't want to talk about it right now, Belle. It's part of my past."

Isabelle nodded softly and they started back on they're way to his house. All was not forgiven, an odd feeling hung in the air over them like a cloud, but at least they could tolerate one another.

As soon as they got into the house they sat on opposite ends of the living room. Isabelle helping Jack by reading that night's assignment out loud but not bothering to look up at him to make sure he was keeping up with her like usual. After it was all done she put the book away and Jack suggested that they put the television on. Isabelle just nodded softly, not really caring much.

Bobby walked into the living, looked at the two of them and easily felt the tension in the room. Not that it would stop him from mocking his little brother, but still he could sense it.

"Hey, fairy, move your ass outta my chair," Bobby said, kicking at Jack's legs.

"Bobby, could you quit the fairy shit?" Jack asked. He walked over to Isabelle and sat down next to her. "I obviously ain't a fairy."

"Yeah, that's why you were sitting across the room from your girlfriend," he muttered. "Still afraid of the girl germs?"

"You're so immature. He isn't a fairy Bobby, trust me," Isabelle said, leaning forward, her eyes on Bobby, glad for the distraction. "Besides, he's not the one who enjoys bangin' guys against a wall and then rollin' around on the floor with them."

Jack laughed and wrapped an arm around Isabelle's waist, pulling her back against the couch. He was amused that when she talked to Bobby the way she spoke changed and she could dish out the insults just as good as he could. Isabelle smirked at Bobby, watching him mimicking her earlier motion and lean forward in his chair.

"First off, I don't bang guys against a wall, I smash their faces into the wall and I don't roll around on the floor, I wrestle," Bobby replied.

"Call it whatever you want, but most people see it was bangin' and rollin'."

"Hockey and wrestling are both widely accepted sports, Iz."

"Maybe in sporting arenas, Bobby, but not when it's going on in your bedroom."

"You're a little smart ass, aren't you?"

Isabelle just smiled and stood up. She grabbed Jack's hand and dragged him out of the living room and towards the door. Jack flipped off Bobby and mouthed obscenities at him as he trailed behind Isabelle. When he turned towards her, she had let go of his hand and was pulling on her coat.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked.

"I have work," she replied. She shoved her arm through the sleeve of her jacket and then draped it around his neck. "I'm sorry, Jack, and don't cocky about this, but I think I may have overreacted slightly."

"Slightly?"

"Don't push it," she said. She smiled and looped her arms around his neck, as if all was forgotten. "I have to go or I'll be late."

"Well, since we were fighting we didn't get to make up for our lost make-out session from yesterday. Maybe you could skip work today," he said, then whispered into her ear, "stay with me."

"Sorry, I really have to go. We're short-staffed tonight and I could use the money." She smiled and kissed his neck gently, knowing his weakness. "I get off at eleven if you want to stop by."

"Of course." He reached down and began to zip up her coat, keeping his eyes on the zipper as it slowly slid up. "They've got you working long hours. Isn't there some sort of rule against that?"

"Yeah, but if I have any hope of ever leaving this town I need the money," she answered.

"That makes me want to report them even more," Jack said. "I don't want you leaving."

"Says the wannabe rock star who won't even remember me when he gets famous."

"Hey-"

"Sorry. Look, I'm going to leave now before we start to fight again," Isabelle said, apologetically. She dropped her hand down to the side of his shirt and tugged on it slightly. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I'll pick you up at eleven."

"Okay." She smiled and kissed him softly before turning around and walking out the door.

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Sorry Bobby fans! I love coming up with insults forIsabelle to make fun of Bobby with.**

**Thank You:  
aLeX24  
Aly K (Jack's past is definitely going to be brought up. This chapter just sort of hints that his past wasn't greatbut it soon will be revealed in detail.)  
Bigamericanflirt  
Duchess4ever  
i run with scissors**


	8. Brotherly Rivalry and The Backseat

**Going to PA tomorrow and Friday is a "Nip/Tuck" season two marathon with friends and somewhere in between there and Monday I have to find time to sleep and do like thirteen pages of precalculus homework and a senior memory book before my last high school spring break is over. So I posted chapters 7 and 8 today for anyone who wants new chapters to read for the next two days...If I find any time in between everything and have time to post more I will but until then this will have to do.  
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"I need the car," Jack said.

"No, you don't, because I do," Bobby said, shoving them in his back pocket.

"Bullshit, Bobby," he replied. He reached for the keys and successfully pulled them out of his pocket and held them over his head. "Goin' to a strip joint doesn't count as a necessity. Besides you have your own damn car."

"In case you haven't noticed, it ain't exactly runnin' no more."

"Not my fault."

Bobby slapped Jack on the back of the head and kneed him in the groin, lowering him to his level and grabbed the keys out of his hand. As he started to walk away, Jack grabbed the back of Bobby's shirt and yanked him backwards against the wall. He took the keys back and headed towards the door. Bobby took off and knocked him to the floor, along with a lamp. The loud crash caused Evelyn to walk into the room and see her two sons wrestling on the floor.

"Bobby, you are a grown man, get off Jackie." she said, startled. She hit Bobby, who was on top of Jack, with an oven mitt and he got off him. "What is going on in here?"

"Nothing, ma, just some brotherly rivalry," Bobby said, smiling.

"Yeah," Jack muttered from the floor. He stood up and dusted off his jeans. "Just a brotherly rivalry."

"Over what?"

"I need the car tonight, ma," Bobby answered.

"So do I," Jack said. "I told Isabelle I'd pick her up after work. I don't want her walkin' home this late."

"That's a good reason," Evelyn replied. "And you, Bobby, why do you need the car?"

"I can't exactly tell ya."

"Then I can't exactly give you the car." She held her hand out to Bobby, who had at some point during the fight gotten them back into his possession. "Give me the keys."

Reluctantly, he handed them over to Evelyn who started to give them to Jack. As he reached for it, she pulled her hand back for a moment, pressing it to her chest. She glanced up at Jack, who looked at her, obviously confused.

"You can have the car on one condition. Wherever Bobby's got to go you have to drive him to," she said. "First you will pick up Isabelle, because we do not want her on the streets, then you will drive Bobby to his destination, then you may go gallivanting about with Isabelle, which I also knew was part of your intention. Do you understand me, Jack?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Good." She handed him the keys and then waved him off. "Now, shoo, I don't want Isabelle to get the idea that she should walk home by herself."

"Thanks."

Jack walked over to the door, waving the keys in Bobby's face. Bobby hit him in the nads as he walked past him, causing Jack to keel over in pain. He stood at the end of the sidewalk, by the passenger side of the car and yelled back at him.

"Come on you pansy! You want the car then you better come and get before I hotwire the damn thing," Bobby yelled.

"You fucker!"

"Suck it up, fairy!"

"Shit, man, you clipped me," he muttered, walking to the car.

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After dropping Bobby off in a rather unsafe part of town Jack and Isabelle drove to the old park by his house and parked there. The two of them climbed into the back seat and Isabelle pulled Jack down on top of her, smiling. She hit her back on the seat belt and she let out a soft whimper. Jack held onto her and somehow managed to roll over on the tiny backseat so that she was on top of him.

"Better?" he asked, letting his large hand rest against the bruise on her back softly.

"Yes," she replied. She smiled and started to kiss him ardently. "You are such a gentleman."

Jack laughed, the deep laugh of a boy on the brink of childhood and maturity. She felt his free hand roam the front of her body, undo the zipper of her jacket just as lovingly as he had zipped it up earlier and then slowly slid his hand underneath the fabric of her shirt. His lips explored hers gently. His hand started to lift away the soft cotton shirt she wore but she pushed it away.

"Please don't," she whispered.

"Okay."

Instantly, he began to worry about why she hadn't let him see her without her shirt on. Were there more bruises on her body that she was afraid he would be able to see in the moonlight? He had felt a small, raised line on her stomach that he may have imagined, but could it possibly be real and some scar of the pain that had been brought upon her? He had lied when he said he overreacted to the bruise on her back, he knew it was from someone, not from a fall. He also knew that if he brought it up again he stood the chance of losing her. He could not risk it.

"You're distracted," Isabelle said, releasing her grip on his bottom lip.

"I was thinking."

"While I was kissing you?" she questioned. "Either I'm not doing my job or it's really important if it's going to make you zone out while we're all alone and I wanting to take advantage of you."

Isabelle lowered herself to him again, kissing his neck and slowly running her hand along his side. Still he seemed distracted.

"What is it, Jack?"

"Do you know we've never been outside of this car or the house together?" he blurted out.

"That's what's distracting you?"

"Yes," he replied, only slightly lying.

"What are you talking about, Jack?" Isabelle asked, pushing his hair away from his face. "We're together in school and the diner-"

"We've never been on a real date."

"Is there a point to this?"

"We should go on a real date."

Isabelle laughed softly. Jack deceivingly had the spirit of a youth. He was smiling as he spoke about a 'real date' like it he was ten years and only beginning to realize girls didn't have cooties. She turned away from him, settling herself against his chest.

"What's the big deal, baby?" Isabelle asked, looking out at the night stars through the car window.

"I've never been on a real date before," he replied. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I wanna talk to your father when I pick you up at your house. I wanna do the whole movie-dinner date thing and kiss you on your front stoop when I say goodnight."

"I don't kiss on the first date," she said.

"Okay, a nice handshake."

"Explain the importance of this to me."

"We never got to do the whole first date thing."

"Which is what, holding sweaty hands?"

"Cynic," Jack said. "I mean, find out each others favorite colors, movies, books-"

"Color? I like blue, just like the color of your eyes, and you like gray. My favorite movie is 'Reservoir Dogs', yours is 'Sid and Nancy.' My favorite book is 'The Outsiders', partly because you remind me of Johnny Cade, and you don't read."

"Isabelle, come on don't take the fun out of it."

"You're a sap, no wonder Bobby calls you a fairy," she joked. She looked up at him, noticing that he wasn't smiling and sighed. "You're not allowed to pick me up at my house or my father will freak and you can't drop me off at home for the same reason." Isabelle turned around to face him, rolling over so that her chest was pressed to his, and gently cupped his face in her hands. "I think this is really ridiculous."

"But?"

"Is this really something you want to do?" she asked.

"Yes," Jack said. "Especially with everything going on lately, it's like we need to rediscover our relationship."

"Fine." She thought for a moment and shook her head. "Did you just say 'rediscover our relationship'? Where in the world did you pick that phrase up?"

Jack smiled at her and kissed her softly, pulling his arms tighter around her and holding her against him. She laughed and pulled away from him, waving her finger at him. He pouted his lips humorously and kissed the tip of her wagging finger.

"Nope, not allowed," she said.

"What?"

"You want to go on a damn date, a first date, then we have to act like we don't know one another." She slid off of him and sat down on the edge of the backseat.

"Whoa, I never agreed to that," he said, sitting up.

"I know, but it was part of the fine print," she replied. She smiled and blew him a kiss. "Maybe I'll make you wait a week or two before I finally agree to it."

"No way," he said, wrapping his arms around her, kissing her neck. "You can't tell me that you can go that long without that."

"I can go that long without you slobbering on my neck."

"You know that you love it," he replied. Isabelle laughed and wrinkled her nose at him, shaking her head negatively. "Yes, you do."

Jack grabbed Isabelle's coat off of the floor of the back of the car with one hand, while holding onto her with the other, and placed the coat down on the seat. He laid her down gently on it so that he bruised back was cushion by the fluffy coat. She looked up at him, smiling at the sweetness he showed towards her. His hand, still resting against the bruise, soothingly massaged the area as he did the same to her neck with his lips.

"Jack-"

"Am I hurting you?" he asked, pulling away slightly to speak and then quickly going back to her neck.

"No, baby," she replied. She pressed her hands into the gap between his shoulder blades, making a small but undeniable sound of pleasure. "It's just…I…We should stop."

Jack pulled away obediently and smiled at her. She didn't understand how he could be so easy to give up. Most guys would fight until you literally had to kick them where it hurt to get them off of you, but Jack was never like that. The moment you felt uncomfortable or wanted to stop, he would, no questions asked.

"You really are a gentleman," Isabelle said, surprised.

"Thank you," he replied. He placed a hand on her cheek, gently running thumb across it. "You're beau-"

The car shook and causing the two of them to fall off the seat. Isabelle hit her head on the window and Jack fell into the back of the front seat. A loud laughter came from the outside of the car.

"Hey, fairy, ma's looking for ya," Bobby said, still laughing.

"Damn it, Bobby," Jack muttered.

"Come on, twinkle toes, get your ass home," he replied. He opened the passenger side door of the car and got into the front seat. "Well, ain't you gonna drive?"

Isabelle sat up in her seat and watched as Jack, angrily opened his door and got into the driver's seat, slamming the door shut behind him. He turned the ignition on and peeled out of the parking lot.

"How'd you find us?" Isabelle asked.

"I got home, ma told me y'all weren't home yet and I knew Jack wasn't that clever to find out his own make out point so I just went to one of the places I used to take girls and there you two were."

"You know, you need to learn a bit about privacy," Jack said.

"Oh, Jackie, I knew you two weren't doin' anything. Besides you ain't got the right equipment."

"And you do, Bobby?" Isabelle said with a laugh, leaning up towards him. "Whip it out then, boy. You keep raggin' on Jack, I want proof that you got something to boast 'bout."

"Yeah, you wish, Izzy. The thing is, I don't feel like goin' to jail for indecent exposure in front of a minor. It ain't a cool enough charge."

"Whatever you say."

"Just wait until your eighteen, I'll rock your world."

"You wish, Bobby," she replied, laughing.

They pulled into the driveway and Bobby quickly got out of the car. Under the street light bruises that hadn't been there before they had dropped him off and a busted lip were visible. He held the door open for Isabelle and she got out as well. As they began walking towards the house Isabelle looked back to see Jack leaning against the car.

"Jack, aren't you coming in?" Isabelle questioned.

"Can we talk out here first?"

Isabelle nodded and walked over to him, as Bobby walked into the house, leaving Jack and her outside by themselves. She positioned herself in front of him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her towards him. She placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling at him.

"What did you want to talk about?" Isabelle asked.

"I wanted to ask you out on a date," he replied.

"What?"

"I figured, if we're gonna do this the appropriate way then I should formally ask you, right?" he questioned. Isabelle laughed and rolled her eyes at him. "Isabelle Marie Leary, will you go out with me?"

Isabelle smiled and laughed softly. Jack pushed her hair out of her face, smiling as well. She leaned close to him moving her hands so that they rested on the car roof of the car on either side of Jack's head and moved her mouth so that it was almost touching his ear.

"Jack Mercer…" she started. "…I'll have to think about it."

Laughing mischievously she pulled out of his grasp and ran onto the patio. She stood by the door, waiting forJack to catch up to her before she went inside the house. He slowly walked over to her, shoving his hands into his pockets so that his shoulders came up around his neck.

"That's not right, Belle. That's just cruel."

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Please Review!**


	9. Losing Her Faith

"Has Isabelle called at all?" Jack asked, walking into the kitchen.

"I haven't heard from her," Bobby said. "Why, is something wrong?"

"No, it's just that our date is tomorrow, I finally got her to agree, and now I haven't heard from her in two days. She hasn't even shown up for school," he answered. He sat down at the table, drumming his fingers against it repetitively. "I'm worried about her. Something doesn't feel right."

"I can't believe you had to get ya girlfriend to agree to go on a date with ya, you fairy," Bobby joked, slapping his little brother on the shoulder. From the look on Jack's face as he glanced up over at Bobby, he realized it wasn't the time for joking. "Call her again. You girls and phones, they're always on the other line."

Jack nodded and walked over to the phone, he grabbed it and hurriedly dialed Isabelle's number. In the pit of his stomach he knew something was wrong. No matter how many times Isabelle would tell him that she was fine, he could never believe it. The bruises on her body weren't from accidents, he of all people should know that, he had used the same excuse for years until he came to Evelyn's. He also knew that if he pushed it too much she would push him away. He figured that it she was with him at least part of the day then she was safe for that time, that's the only thing that kept him from calling the police every time Isabelle sported a new handprint bruise on her body. He was regretting it now, afraid that her father had hit her a little too hard this time. The phone rang several times before it was picked up and the voice of Isabelle's angry father filled the receiver.

"What?" Mr. Leary asked.

"Can I speak to Be…" Jack paused for a moment, remembering that Isabelle had told him her father hated when people called her Belle. "Isabelle, can I speak to Isabelle?"

"She ain't here," he replied.

"Well, do you know where she is?" he questioned, losing his patience.

"No, I don't know where she is you little bastard!" he yelled angrily, obvious to Jack that he was drunk. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I don't want her traipsin' around town with trash like you, ruinin' her reputation and innocence if you haven't already."

"Traipsing around town with trash like me? Fuck you," Jack said, his voice almost a yell. "You don't know shit about her. You don't know shit about me. She's the most fuckin' respectable person on this planet and I don't know how since she was raised by a piece of shit like you."

"You have no right to talk to me like that, boy!"

"I have every right to talk to you like that, you're treating one of the few good people in my life like shit, you better believe I ain't gonna just let it go. I know you hit her. I saw the fuckin' bruises."

Bobby, who was standing in the doorway, walked over to Jack. He tried to get his attention and mouthed the words "Keep him on the line," then ran out the door. Jack could hear the car start as he continued his screaming match with Mr. Leary.

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Bobby walked into the house with Isabelle behind him. She looked like she hadn't slept in days. There was a large bruise just beginning to form on her left cheek and eye. Instantly, Jack ran over to her, wrapping his arms around her. She tensed when he touched her, almost like he was afraid that he was going to cause her pain.

"Are you okay? What happened to you? Why are you bruised?" Jack asked, holding onto her tightly.

"I don't want to talk about it," she replied. "I'm fine."

"Baby, you're not fine. Your face looks really painful."

"I'll talk to you about it later," she promised.

"Hey, fairy, go upstairs while I talk to Isabelle," Bobby said.

"I don't trust you," Jack replied, suddenly protective of Isabelle.

"I'll kick him in the nads if he oversteps his boundaries, baby," she said. She kissed his cheek softly and slapped him on the butt playfully. "Go upstairs like a good boy or I won't come up to tuck you in."

Jack could sense the need for normalcy in Isabelle's voice, the need for her to act like they always did around each other, even though she was far being who she usually was. He smiled at her, ignoring the already increasing bruise on her cheek and kissed her forehead.

"Kick him hard," he said, before turning around and walking up the stairs.

Once Jack was out of earshot Isabelle walked over to the couch and sat down, watching Bobby pace around the living room. He went to sit down in the chair across from her, but as soon as he sat he stood up again.

"You're making me very nervous, Bobby," Isabelle said.

"What happened, Isabelle?" he asked. He grabbed a handful of his hair and shook his head. "I saw something and I'm not quite sure what it means. I mean, I know what I saw, I know what it means, but it can't be real. Is it?"

"I don't like where this is going, Bobby," she said. She stood up and went to walk out of the room, but he grabbed her arm. "If you were Jack I would slap you so hard. Let go of me."

"Tell me that what I'm thinkin' was about to happen hasn't happened before."

"I wish I could," she replied, tears coming out of her eyes. She wiped the tears away from her eyes and glanced over at Bobby. "Don't tell Jack. Please?"

"Go upstairs. I'll tell ma you're staying here. Leave the door opened a crack, tell him that ma said that it was necessary. I don't want him gettin' any ideas tonight."

"We aren't…We haven't…"

"And I don't want it happening tonight."

"Why, because I might be diseased?" she asked, offended.

"No, because you're hurting and you don't wanna remember bein' with Jack in that state of mind. You'll resent him, do you want that?"

Isabelle looked down at the floor and shook her head. As she went towards the stairs Bobby called out her name and she turned back to face him.

"You gonna have to tell him sooner or later, Iz, and I know you think that he's gonna run for the hills, but he's not like that. Jack's better than the rest of us Mercers and you got goin' for ya the fact that he _cares_ 'bout ya," Bobby informed her. "Tomorrow, I'll go and get your stuff. Can you keep Jackie boy occupied while I do so that he don't get nosey?"

"Yeah."

Isabelle walked the rest of the way up the stairs, nearly bumping into Jack as he stepped out of the linen closet. He had sheets draped over his arm and smiled at Isabelle gently. He took notice of her tears and the smile on his face, as well as the sheets in his arms, fell.

"What did Bobby say?" he asked, angrily.

"Nothing, Jack," she replied. She shook her head and bent down to pick up the fallen linen. "I'm just kind of upset right now. It wasn't anything he did, though, so no need to attack him. Okay?"

"Yeah."

Isabelle faked a smile and handed Jack the sheets. She walked into his room, Jack following closely behind her. He placed the sheets down on the chair beside his bed and watched as Isabelle stood in the corner of the room.

An uneasy silence filled the room as Jack began to rip the sheets off the bed. He glanced over at her, but she didn't seem to notice, her face pointed down to the ground. As soon as the mattress was bare, he went over to the chair to grab the sheets but made a detour to stop in front of Isabelle.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked. He rested his hand under her chin and gently led her face up to his. He smiled and kissed the tip of her nose. "I know something's wrong. Why can't you just tell me?"

"I just don't want to talk about it," she answered. She tried to smile, failing miserably, and kissed his cheek softly. "It's nothing about you, so you don't have to worry." She rested her head against his neck and murmured into his ear, "Go make the bed, Jack, I'm tired."

Laughing softly he grabbed the linens and walked over to the bed. As bent over to fit the sheets to the bed he glanced back at Isabelle who was watching him.

"You're looking at my ass, aren't you?"

"Oh, yes, because I can't stop staring at something so perfect," she replied sarcastically. "Unlike your disgusting face and ugly personality. Not to mention that hideous I-just-got-out-of-bed-head hair that really took you like three hours to create."

"You love my ass and face and personality," Jack said, turning towards her. He walked slowly over to her, touching his messy hair. "And as for the hair, it drives you wild and you know it, Belle."

Isabelle laughed half-heartedly, but was happy to find something helping her to forget the drama from before. It was amazing how even the worst of things could be forgotten once she was around him. He lunged after her and wrapped his arms around her waist, her back pressed into the corner of the room. She continued to laugh as Jack started kissing her neck as 'punishment.'

"Tell me you love my hair or I'm not going to stop," he said, smiling brightly, as he moved to her earlobe. "Tell me."

"Okay, I love your dumbass rock star hair," she replied.

"I don't accept it."

Shoving him away Isabelle made her way past him, smiling. Jack ran over to her, catching her easily and fell onto the bed with her. Isabelle pushed him off of her, but he rolled over so that he could kiss the side of her neck. She moved closer to him, allowing him to slowly lie down on top of her again. He looked down at her, his blue eyes so pure that she could see everything he was feeling.

Isabelle smiled up at him and gently brought his face down to hers. Jack's focus was completely on her, attentive to her every movement and sound. He was the most gentle of gentlemen. He began to peel the fabric of her shirt away from her body when a shudder ripped through her and she was no longer in the comfort of Jack's arms.

_"You can't hide from me," the voice said, as she hid in her closet._

_Isabelle buried herself deeper into the fallen clothes and hangers, wanting to disappear. She could hear the footsteps of his heavy boots coming closer. She no longer knew why she hid in the closet, he would eventually find her and the punishment for hiding was much more severe. But Jack had made her want to hide, to have a slight chance to leave it all behind and put up a fight, even though he knew nothing of what she went through._

_"Izzzzabelle Marie Leary, where the fuck are you?" he asked, elongating her name into a snakelike hiss._

_She could hear the beat of her heart so loudly in her chest that she was surprised he hadn't already found her from the sounds of her tell-tale heart. Watching through the slits of the closest door she saw him come to the front of it. He reached for the doorknob when the phone began to ring._

_"Shit," he muttered._

_He walked out of the room, grabbing the phone in the kitchen. She took it as her time to escape. She threw the closet door open and started to walk toward the bedroom door, trying to figure out how to leave without him seeing her when she heard him yelling into the phone receiver._

_"No, I don't know where she is you little bastard!" he yelled angrily. It was obvious that he was talking to Jack. "Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. I don't want her traipsin' around town with you, ruinin' her reputation and innocence if you haven't already."_

_Isabelle froze as he got into a screaming match with Jack. Both were yelling so loudly that she could hear either end of the phone conversation. Jack was defending her, she would have to thank him for that, but the most important thing was to get out of the house. She regained her courage and walked back into her room, realizing the safest way out was the window. As she opened the window she heard the slam of the phone being thrown into the cradle harshly._

"Isabelle?" Jack asked, trying to bring her back to him. "Belle, what's going on?"

Jack gently shook her, trying to wake her from her state but she couldn't hear him. Her eyes were bulging out of her head and she barely blinked. She had gone pale as snow while her breathing turned erratic and huffs and puffs of air was all she could manage.

_Climbing out the window had turned out to be more difficult than Isabelle had imagined. She had gotten one leg completely out of the window before she felt a strong force pull her back. She fell to the floor with a loud and hard thud and stared up at the eyes of evil himself. She began to whimper softly, feeling like she was five years old again. She crawled uncomfortably backwards, her eyes never leaving the figure hovering over her._

_"Where were you hiding, darlin'?" he asked, a sickening fake sweetness to his voice._

_"I wasn't hiding," Isabelle whispered._

_"Don't lie to me," he replied, the anger in his voice rising. "Do you know what happens to little girls who lie? They go to hell, Isabelle, you don't want that do you?"_

_The threat of hell that he always presented her with was no longer an actual threat. She had lost her faith long ago and she feared it would never return. Liars go to hell, he would say, as did cheaters and people who told other people's secrets. She backed up into the door, not realizing he had closed it and silently prayed for anything to help her out of her inescapable situation._

_"Where are you going to run to now?" he asked, his laugh having a maniacal quality to it._

_While praying to anyone she could think of despite her loss of faith she felt a strong hand tug her up off the ground. His hands were wrapped around her wrists, pulling the sixteen year old up and harshly shoving her into the door, the knob jabbing into her back. He took a step closer to her, her wrists now pinned to the wood and held high above her head, both of her tiny wrists clasped in one of his hands as he let one of his hands slid down her front._

_"No one's going to ruin you," he said, as he pulled at the fabric of her shirt. "Especially not some scum orphan like that Mercer boy. I know you told him lies about me. You left out the details of how much you deserved it. You're going around making me sound like the bad person. The filth you already have on you."_

_"I didn't say anything," she said, almost pleading._

_"Don't lie to me!" he yelled, slapping her hard across the face. "I can tell when you lie."_

_Isabelle began to sob, violent gasps desperate for air surfaced from her chest. He placed his hand over her stomach, underneath a fabric, and ran it along the top of her body. Nothing could save her now, she kept thinking to herself. As he released one of her wrists and grabbed a chunk of her hair in his fists a loud banging came upon the front door. At first he ignored it and continued on his path to her destruction but it soon became too loud to ignore and knowing the cops would soon arrive if he didn't answer it he let go of her, throwing her to the floor. _

_"Don't you move from that spot or it will be tens times worse," he warned as he left the room, slamming the door behind him_

_"Open the fuckin' door right now you son of a bitch!" the voice from outside the door yelled._

_Instantly Isabelle recognized it as Bobby's. She begged for him to find her to save her, but she feared that he too would be convinced by the act_

_"Who are you?"_

_"Bobby Mercer, Jack's older brother."_

_"What the hell you doin', Bobby, tryin' to break down my door?" he asked._

_"Nah, I need to see Isabelle, now," he answered._

_"Like I told that brother of yours, she ain't here, I haven't seen her for days." There was a pause, he was trying to convince Bobby of his story by letting it sink in, but it didn't seem to be working. "I had actually thought she and Jack had taken off together before he called."_

_"If she's not here, then why won't you let me into your house?" Bobby questioned._

_"She AIN'T here, and I don't want you invading my personal space."_

_Bobby wasn't convinced, Isabelle could sense that even from where she was. There was a scuffle at the door. She could hear Bobby cursing harshly and then one of them being slammed against the wall. Suddenly, she heard loud, heavy footsteps pounding up the staircase and towards the door. Isabelle crawled into the corner, cowering there just in case._

_The door was thrown open and Bobby stood there glancing around the room before he settled his eyes on the sore sight of Isabelle. She stood up and quickly flung herself at him. The usually cold and hot headed demeanor of Bobby broke down. He hugged her tightly, as well, then let go but held onto her arm._

_"I gotta get you out of here." He started to pull her out of the room and towards the staircase, but she hovered at the top of the stairs, afraid to go down. "It's okay, he's unconscious. I would have killed the bastard if I had time to get to you before the cops came, but I didn't. That'll have to do for now."_

_Isabelle felt Bobby tug at her arm again and this time she followed. As they reached the bottom of the steps she saw the unconscious form lying just a few feet from the doorway. She wanted to kick at him spit, curse, anything to let her aggression out, but instead she just followed Bobby out the front door, slamming it behind them._

Isabelle snapped back into reality. A frightened Jack held onto to her tightly and somehow she had been put into a sitting up position. He looked into her eyes searching them to make sure she was herself again. Bobby was standing in the doorway, a bowl of freezing water in hand to throw onto her had she not woken from her state. She looked up at Jack and moved closer to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. He wrapped both arms around her tightly and she began to sob, her whole body violently shaking.

Bobby walked over to the area behind them so that he could catch a glimpse of Isabelle's face. She looked up at him, wordlessly telling him what she had just lived through. It was still early, the memory only from earlier that day. But as soon as she was in the Mercer house it felt like it was only a bad nightmare, until her attack.

Gently, she pushed Jack away and stood up. She walked over to the bathroom, turning on the facet as cold as she could get it. She splashed the water in her face, not caring if it dripped onto her shirt. As she looked up in the mirror she saw Bobby standing in the doorway again.

"I told Jack to stay in his room for a moment while we spoke," Bobby said. "It's gonna keep happening Isabelle if you don't accept it. Jack's gonna keep gettin' scared too if you don't tell him what happened."

"I know," she admitted. "I just can't do it right now."

"Look, cool off and go back in the room, I'll make Jack sleep in the Angel's room," he said, throwing her a towel.

"Don't, please," she begged. "I don't want to be alone."

"Okay. I'll just make him back off for tonight." He looked at her sympathetically and took a step closer to her. "This is why I just wanted you to cool it off with Jack for the moment. I didn't want you to have to go through this pain, neither would Jack had he known. I never thought it was because something could be-"

"I know."

"I just wanted to make sure you did," he said. He gave one last glance at her and then walked out of the bathroom and into Jack's room.

Isabelle nodded and turned back towards the sink. She pressed the soft, detergent smelling towel to her face and sighed. She looked up at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was red and her eyes were puffy. The bruise on the left side of her face had gotten darker and uglier, viciously yelling at her like a reminder of what she had done wrong. She threw the towel into the hamper and turned around to back out of the bathroom.

As she neared the bedroom she saw Jack nervous pacing around. She stood in the doorway until he caught sight of her. He walked over to her, afraid to touch her, but gently resting his hand on her shoulder anyway.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I think so," she answered. She took a step into the room and closer to him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Jack, I don't want you to think that. I just, freaked out, I guess."

"I used to do that," Jack admitted. "Except, instead of going almost catatonic, I would hit and scream. I get those catatonic spells now though. But it's rare for me, I've kind of gotten over them."

"How?"

"I talked to ma about my past, I just let it go."

"I don't have a past I need to talk about," she said, less insistent than she had been previous times.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked. "The bruise on your face alone says you have tons to talk about."

Isabelle nodded and went to sit down on the bed. She knew he wouldn't believe her, but it was an automatic instinct to lie. She looked over at Jack, silently urging him to sit down beside her which he did.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" he asked, soothingly rubbing his hand across her back.

Isabelle shook her head 'no' but laid down anyway, wanting to fall asleep and get to the next day, leaving this one in the past. Jack laid down beside her afraid to touch in fear that he might bring her back to that place. She flinched softly as Jack shifted his body causing the pillow by her head to move suddenly.

"Isabelle, are you sure you want me here?" Jack asked.

"Yes," she answered, nodding fervently. She rolled over so that she could face him and looked him straight in the eyes. "You make me feel safe."

Isabelle wrapped her arms around his waist and held onto him tightly. She rested her head on his shoulder and just listened to his heart beating soft and smooth, the sound making her relax. The only place safer than the Mercer household itself was in Jack's arms. There she never had to worry about whether or not she would wake up or not. She always knew she was safe in his arms, the way he held her alone telling her that he would never let something bad happen to her if he could prevent it. It should have been a signal that she should tell him the truth, but she was afraid.

"I love you, Belle," Jack said, kissing the top of her head. "No matter what."

"Jack, I love you, too, but I'm not ready to talk about it. Be patient with me."

"Always."

Jack took notice of the handprint shaped bruises which wrapped around her wrist. He ran his fingers along them, wishing he could take her pain away. Carefully, he lifted her hand up and brought her wrist up to his lips and kissed it softly.

"Thank you," Isabelle whispered, before falling asleep, completely safe in Jack's arms.

For a while, Jack continued to look down at her. His eyes had never seen such a sore sight before. He wanted to help her, but he didn't know how to do it. Isabelle was being hurt and the only thing he could do was to keep her safe, and in his eyes, he was failing at that. Careful not to wake her, Jack reached down and picked the blanket up off the floor. He gently wrapped it around the two of them and slowly fell asleep.

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Please Review...The quicker I get reviews the quicker I will post the next chapter...Jack's past finally (!) comes into light and Isabelle reveals even more.**

**Thank You  
Aly K (Angsty enough? lol)  
Bigamericaflirt  
i run with scissors  
xtaintedimage (Even though you haven't reviewed again, Nabila (grrrness!) I have to give you credit for readiing this chapter before I wrote anything else in the story and you had no idea where it was coming from, besides my warped mind. p.s. long johns)**


	10. Confessions

Isabelle woke up the next morning to find Jack's arm tightly wrapped around her waist, his body pressed against hers tightly. She looked over at him and placed her hand on the side of his face, gently pushing his hair away from it. He was so peaceful looking that she couldn't help but watch him for a moment.

Carefully, she removed his hands from her body and sat up. She slid out of the bed and lightly stepped out of the room, avoiding any creaking boards that would wake him. She opened the door to the bathroom, which was luckily unoccupied, and shut the door, locking it behind her. She walked towards the shower, adjusted the temperature of the water and then looked into the mirror examining her bruise as the room began to fill up with steam.

Her face looked worse than it had the day before, it was darker and angrier than before. She knew that this time she couldn't hide the truth, not only had Bobby seen the truth, but also there was no way to excuse a bruise of this caliber. What could she say, she got hit in the face with an elbow? No one would believe that.

Walking over to the shower, she quickly slipped off her clothes and stepped in. The water was unforgiving as it hit all the bruises on her exposed body. She winced in pain and somehow felt relief. Isabelle grabbed the shampoo and began to run it through her hair when Jack knocked on the bathroom door and called out her name questioningly.

"Yeah, Jack, it's me," Isabelle replied. She stuck her hand out of the shower and unlocked the door. "Come in."

Isabelle stuck her head out of the shower, her wet hair covering over the bruised side of her face, watching as Jack walked into the bathroom, covering his eyes. She laughed as he shut the door and sat down on the lid of the toilet, eyes still covered.

"You can open your eyes," she said.

"Are you sure?"

"Come on, Jack, I already know you were peaking and it doesn't matter, I'm already in the shower," she replied, unable to hide a small smile.

"Damn it," he said.

"I'm almost done."

"Okay."

Isabelle finished up and slowly reached her hand out of the shower, signaling for Jack to hand her a towel. He did and she grabbed it from her, wrapping it around herself completely nd making sure that her hair covered her face before stepping out.

Even though she was as covered as could be, bruises on her shoulders and legs were still exposed. Admittedly, she felt a little self-conscious in front of Jack, but he pretended not to see them. It was meant to be polite, Isabelle knew that, but it just made her feel worse. She hated acting like nothing was wrong, she was tired of doing that.

"You know, I think next time I wake up and you're not there when you're supposed to be, I'm just going to jump into the shower with you," Jack joked.

"And that will be the time I'm not in there and it will be Bobby. Try explaining that to him with out getting another fairy remark out of it," Isabelle replied. She noticed Jack looking down at the visible bruises, but acting as if he wasn't. "It hurts worse when you pretend they're not there, Jack."

"Can I see your face?" Jack asked solemnly.

Isabelle nodded softly as he stood up and walked over to her, kneeling down in front of her. He gently pushed the wet hair away from her face, exposing the bruise. He took it in, examining it with his eyes and then pressed his hand against it, gingerly letting his fingers explore the discolored area.

"Did he do this to you?" Jack asked. He was on the brink of tears, he remembered the pain he had felt in his past and how much she must be feeling. He hated knowing that someone was causing her pain that he couldn't make go away. "Please don't protect him anymore. Just tell me the truth."

Isabelle didn't know what to say. She didn't want to talk about but she knew if she opened her mouth it would come out. Understanding how she felt without words, Jack stood up and wrapped his arms around her delicately. He saw the reflection of her back in the mirror behind her and jutted out his jaw to keep himself from getting mad.

In the reflection Jack saw all of the bruises that the bastard had put on her. The anger rose in him to the point that he feared, the point that made him feel like he could end up like his father. Violence and anger had always been his Achilles' heel. However, something more powerful than anger overtook him. He felt this indescribable need to protect Isabelle, an insatiable want to keep her safe and near him.

"You're all wet now," Isabelle said, as she pulled away from Jack.

"It's okay," he said. He kissed her softly on the lips and rested his hand on the top of her head. "I'll let you finish up in here while I get changed. Just go into my room when you're done. I'll leave some clothes on the bed for you."

Isabelle nodded and watched as he walked over of the room.

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Isabelle walked down the stairs and into the living room wearing the clothes that Jack had set out for her. Jack was sitting on the couch, staring at the television screen before him. When he heard her coming down the stairs he smiled slightly and watched her walk over to him. Isabelle sat down next to Jack, curling up against him as he watched television. She felt his arms instantly wrap protectively around her and she felt safe. She brought her legs up onto the cushions and placed her head in his lap, lying down across the couch, using him as a pillow.

"Comfortable?" he asked, smiling down at her.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "If anything, no one can ever say you're a bad couch, Jack Mercer."

Jack laughed softly at that and began to run his hand through her wet hair. He caught a tangle between his fingers and gently combed it out. She watched him, his eyes so attentive to the way he was touching her. She reached up and ran her hand along his messy hair, pushing a few loose strands behind his ears.

"I really do love your hair," Isabelle commented, bringing up their fake fight from the previous day, trying to be lighthearted.

"And my ass?"

"That goes without question."

"My face?"

"I could live with a different nose," she joked. She smiled and rested her hand against his cheek as he continued to brush his fingers through her hair. "But I never want you to change your personality. I think I love that the most."

Jack leaned down and kissed her softly. As he pulled away, she continued to stare up at him, her eyes taking in every slight imperfection that made him perfect and each curve of his face. She wanted to etch him at the moment into her memory so that she would always have him with her.

"Belle, I gotta get up for a moment," he said. "I know, you're all peaceful and serene looking but I have something on the stove that I don't want to catch fire. Stay there, I'll be right back."

Nodding softly, Isabelle sat up and watched him walk into the kitchen and over to the stove. She stood up and made her way over to the fireplace, looking at all the pictures that Evelyn had adorned it with. The first was a picture of Bobby, a huge grin spread across his face and decked out in his hockey gear. Right next to it was what Isabelle assumed was a picture of Angel from how Jack described him. He was sitting on the floor beside a Christmas tree, the rest of the brothers, with the exception of Jack, in the background, and he was holding a model ship in his hand. The next was Jeremiah, without a doubt, it was his school photo from when he must have been in elementary school. He smiled, showing off every one of his huge sparkling white teeth, his was happy, the sign that it was Jeremiah.

The last photo on the mantle caught her eye the most. It was Jack when he was young. She thought his body looked like he was around nine years old but his face seemed to be in his teens. He was clad in a leather jacket at least five times too big and his hair was messy, a signal that his style had always been the same. He was grinning, his dimples showing off his cuteness factor, but it ended with his mouth. No other sign of happiness was expressed by this shell of a boy. He seemed frail and much too thin, but he appeared to be on the way to recovery. Isabelle noticed a small bruise around the base of his neck that had faded to a yellowish brown, so small and faint she was surprised she could even notice it in the picture.

"I'm shutting the stove off now, I'll be right in," Jack called from the kitchen.

Isabelle nodded, despite the fact that she knew he could not see her. She heard his footsteps leading into the room as he walked over to her.

"Didn't I tell you to stay on the couch?" he asked lightheartedly. "What made you get up?"

"You were a cute kid," Isabelle said, picking up the picture of Jack.

"That was about a month after I came to Evelyn," he replied. He hovered over her shoulder, looking down at the picture. "I barely know who that is anymore."

"How old were you?" she asked. She traced her finger over the picture, outlining the frame of the youth. "I mean, you look so small."

"Eleven."

"You were so young," she said, astonished.

"I was seven when it started. I was at my fourth foster house by then," Jack admitted, his voice cracking slightly. "At least that's from when I can remember it happening."

"What did your foster father do?" she asked, willing him to let it all go. She craned her neck over to look up at him.

"At first it was just vicious names and then it escalated into violence," he said. He laughed coarsely and shoved his hands deep into his pockets, forcing his shoulders up around his neck. "I liked it better when he was violent, it hurt less than the words he said. He told me things like how I was with him because nobody wanted me and that I was and always would be a fuck up, that I was worthless, my life was meaningless. I believed him too because there was nothing to disprove him but there was tons of evidence to back him up."

"You're not worthless, Jack, and I want you…I need you," Isabelle said, comfortingly. She placed the picture down on the mantle and turned her whole body to face Jack. She placed a hand on his face, catching a stray tear on her thumb.

"At least when he hit me I could project myself into this other state of being, like it wasn't really me being hurt, but rather some other kid I was watching from a safe distance," he said, like he hadn't heard what Isabelle had told him. "Helen, she was my foster mother, she tried to keep me safe, tried to tell me that what he said wasn't true. He beat her too. It got so bad that she just gave up."

"Gave up?"

"Killed herself."

"Jack, I'm sorry."

Jack glanced down at Isabelle's hand resting against his cheek. He placed his over hers and looked down at her, keeping his eyes locked on hers. She tried to smile, grin, do anything to make him feel better, but they were so false that they could never reach her eyes. She could feel his pain and all she wanted to do was to make it better. He looked out down at the floor, his eyes glazing over in a distant way and began to speak again.

"One night, when I was about eight, he came into my room," Jack said, his voice coming from a distant place. "He did things to me and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't even sure that it was wrong. I didn't know what was going on, I…" his voice trailed off.

"I understand." She leaned up to kiss his cheek and felt Jack's arms wrap around her waist, pulling her to him. He felt the need to be connected to her at that moment, as did Isabelle. She buried her face in his chest and softly whispered, "I was thirteen."

"What?" he asked. He placed his hand on her face, leading it up to look at him. "Belle, wh-"

"I was thirteen when it started happening to me," she repeated. She took a step away from him, breaking the connection and leaned against the wall. "Like you, it was words at first, then it was fists, and then…Then…"

Jack looked over at her, wanting so badly to make everything right for her. When he tried to take her hand she moved further away, cowering in the corner.

"I couldn't do anything, Jack, you have to know that. I tried, at first, I wanted it to stop. After a couple of months I gave up trying to fight it, I just laid there, I thought that I deserved it, that I had done something wrong and this was my punishment."

"I did too."

Isabelle slid down to the ground, pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them protectively. She looked up at Jack for a moment before looking down at the floor. He kept his eyes on her face, trying to find the courage to ask her the question on his mind.

"Is that why you're here? Is it still happening?" he asked.

"The other day when I came here, Bobby picked me up, he stopped him. That's why I'm here." She stared out into the space before her, her eyes distant and wild. "Don't blame Bobby for not telling you, I made him promise. I just had to find the right time to tell you. Please don't be mad."

"I'm not mad."

"I want it to stop," Isabelle whispered.

"It will, I promise you that," he replied. "I'm going to do whatever I can to make it all better. Just wait and see."

Jack kneeled down beside her, gently resting his hand on her shoulder. She couldn't look at him, she felt ashamed and dirty after confessing everything. Jack kissed the top of her head, trying to soothe her. She looked up and flung herself at him, violently sobbing into his chest. He sat on the floor beside her, holding her tightly until Evelyn came home.

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Thank You:  
Aly K  
i run with scissors  
Bigamericanflirt**


	11. Feel This

"Why didn't you tell me? Or Jack?" Evelyn asked.

Evelyn and Isabelle were sitting in the kitchen at the table. Isabelle's head was pointed down at the ground, her hair curtained around her face so it was hidden from view. Evelyn waited patiently for her to speak, not wanting to push the teen into speaking, but wanting to help her.

"I didn't want anyone to know, especially, Jack. I thought he would see me differently," she replied softly.

"Can you tell me what happened now?"

"He, um…I don't…It's just difficult, Miss Evelyn. I get in the way, I don't do things right, it's mostly my fault."

"Don't you dare say that!" she said, shaking her head fervently. "No human or creature on this earth deserves anything like what you're going through. And I will tell you that same thing I told Jackie when he first came to me, none of this is your fault. You cannot be blamed for the actions or misdirected feelings of others." Evelyn grabbed Isabelle's hands in her own and squeezed them reassuringly. "You do not deserve this and I will not have you thinking that you do."

The tea kettle began to whistle, steam rose from it. Isabelle glanced over at it, caught off guard by the sudden noise. Evelyn stood up from her seat and shut the stove off. As she grabbed mugs from the cupboard she looked over at Isabelle sadly. If only she had known sooner.

"Isabelle, can I ask you one thing?" Evelyn questioned, turning towards the teenager. She nodded softly, but didn't look up. "Where is your mother?"

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"I'm going to kill him," Jack said, pacing around his bedroom. "I am going to fuckin' kill him."

Bobby grabbed his brother's arm, but he quickly flung it off. Jack let out a loud growl of frustration and shoved his hands through his hair angrily. He needed to keep his mind off of Isabelle's past, but he couldn't help but to imagine those nights her dreams had been torn to shreds by her living nightmare.

"Jack, you're just mad-"

"Damn right I'm mad!" he yelled. He punched the wall, leaving an impression in it. "Shit!"

"Relax," Bobby urged him.

"How can I relax?"

"I don't know, but you're gonna have to. Isabelle will leave if she knows how bad this is freakin' you out. You want her to leave?"

"No, at least here she's safe."

"Exactly."

Jack sat down on his bed, next to Bobby. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter and started to flick the lid open and closed repeatedly until Bobby took it away from him. He looked up at him, angry that he had taken the one thing he could focus his negative energy on without someone getting hurt.

"He needs to pay," Jack said.

"I agree," Bobby replied. He sat down next to Jack, throwing the lighter on the coffee table in front of them. "If I thought I had, had the time the other day I probably would have killed him myself, but my focus was on gettin' Izzy outta that house as fast as I could without gettin' her or me in trouble."

"How could someone do that to her?"

"I don't know," he answered. "But if we're gonna do something about it, we gotta do it without her finding out and without the courts finding out. If something happens to this bastard that can be linked back to us, it could hurt Isabelle's case and would definitely hurt her."

"What are you saying, Bobby?"

"I'm sayin' that maybe we should wait until after Isabelle's case is settled and then take revenge on the guy."

"I can't wait that long to me that bastard pay."

"Well, I never said we couldn't rough him up a bit first. Ma said Isabelle's gotta get some of her belongin's from the house. We could do it for her, having a little fun with the bastard along that way."

"Good idea. That guy's gonna pay for ever laying a hand on her."

Jack clenched his jaw tightly, fighting off the urge to punch the wall again. He didn't understand how something like that could be happening to Isabelle right beneath his nose without him realizing. He was about to speak again when he glanced over at the doorway, Isabelle stood there, her arms wrapped over her chest.

"Hey, baby," Jack said, faking normalcy.

"Hi," she whispered, softly.

"I'm gonna leave you two be," Bobby said, walking towards the door. He patted Isabelle on the back softly as he made his way out.

"Come here," Jack said, walking over to Isabelle and taking her hands in his.

"What were you talking to Bobby about?" she questioned.

"Nothing, it's not important," he replied. He got her to sit on the bed and gently kissed the top of her head. "Are you okay?"

"I would be if people stopped asking me that."

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I know you're just concerned, but don't do anything stupid, it will settle on its own," Isabelle said, knowingly.

Jack nodded softly. He placed his hand on the side of her face, gently running his head along the bruise on her face. He slowly glided his hand down her neck and over to her bruised shoulder. He leaned down and gently kissed it.

"I love you," he whispered, as he lifted his head up to her ear. "I-"

"Jack, come down here for a moment," Evelyn called from the bottom of the staircase.

"I'll be right back, Belle," he told her.

Smiling sympathetically, Jack stood up and walked over to the door. He glanced back at Isabelle who looked as if she wanted blend into the comforter. She gave a weary smile for him, before Jack left the room.

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"She's going to be staying here from now on until things are settled," Evelyn told Jack, who nodded softly. "Everything you went through when you first came here, she's going to be going through even though you two are already close. All the distrust, the pain, not wanting to be touched, sometimes wanting for you to hold her. You need to show her that you still love her, but don't act excessively. You don't want to treat her any different or it could hurt her more than if you had acted like you could hurt her."

"How could I have not known?" Jack asked.

"Because she didn't want you to, Jack," she replied. She sat down across from him, placing her hands over his. "Isabelle is the smartest and cleverest girl either one of us has ever known. She could easily mask her feelings because that's what she had been taught to do."

"I know, but I went through it too, shouldn't I have noticed the same signs?" he questioned, more to himself than to anyone else. "This was going on the entire time I've known her and before. I should have noticed something."

Evelyn looked at her son with sympathy. She knew how he felt, she felt it herself. She had worked with hundreds of kids and yet Isabelle's problems had eluded her. The only time she had ever noticed anything wrong was the bruises, but legally she couldn't do anything unless Isabelle wanted to file something. This time, however, she had no choice.

"I couldn't completely figure it out myself and it's my job to do so," Evelyn admitted. "There was only one other person that's been through the same thing and I didn't immediately know it. It was you. You two have been through basically the same stuff and you both hid it so well because you were so afraid to let someone know."

Jack nodded softly and stood up, grabbing the mug for Isabelle.

"I'm going to go check on her," Jack said.

"Okay, just remember not to treat her any differently."

"Ma, you don't have to remind me," he said. "I know how I was when you first found out and I remembered how I wanted to be treated."

Jack walked away from the table and headed up the stairs to his room. He slowed down as he neared the room. The door was open and Isabelle was sitting on the bed, all the lights off except for the one directly beside the bed. Jack notice that she was wearing one of his shirts as pajamas and smiled to himself.

"Hey," Jack said, not wanting to startle her.

"Hi," she replied, glancing over at him.

"Tea?" he offered, holding out the mug to her.

"Thanks," she said, taking it in her hands. She took a small sip and then placed it on the table beside the bed. "Jack, would you stay in here with me?"

"Yeah, where else would I stay?" he asked.

"It's just…I thought you might have been feeling awkward about everything and that you wouldn't want to be anywhere near me. I thought you might have been disgus-"

"Don't even finish that thought. How could I ever be disgusted by you?" he asked. "I told you that you're never going to be able to get rid of me."

"I don't ever want you to leave."

"Good, then we have an agreement."

Jack sat down on the bed and Isabelle rested her head on his shoulder. Jack began to hum something into Isabelle's hair, smelling the sweet scent of her shampoo emanate from it. She smiled softly, loving the way it sounded.

"I think maybe you should go to sleep," Jack suggested.

"Okay, on one condition."

"What?"

"You have to sing to me," she answered. She grabbed his hand and wrapped it around her waist as she laid down on the bed. "Do you mind?"

"Of course not."

Jack laid down besides her, he went to turn the light off but she grabbed his hand so that he couldn't. He whispered an apology into her ear and then settled in against her.

"What do you want to hear?" he asked.

"Hmmm…I don't care, I just find your voice comforting."

"Okay…_Old McDonald had a farm-_"

Isabelle laughed, shaking her head to get him to stop. She cuddled closer to him, his head now resting right behind hers, his lips resting against her hair.

"_It's gotta be this one/ You don't have to fake it/ You know I can take it/ What if I told you your tears haven't been ignored/ And everything that was taken can be restored? Restored/ Feel this/ Can you feel this/ My heart beating out of my chest/ Feel this/ Can you feel this/ Salvation under my breath/ It's gotta be just right/ The soul and the spirit/ The chord and the lyric/ What if I told you that innocence is yours/ And the beauty you have now is brighter than before? Before…"_

Jack stopped and looked down at Isabelle. She was fast asleep, her hands pressed against his so that she held them tightly on her. Jack kissed the top of her head and slowly began to fall asleep, too, leaving the light on just in case she woke up in the middle of the night.

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****The above song is called "Feel This" by Enation, hence, I do not own it. Nor do I own "Old McDonald" but I think that was kind of obvious.**

**Thank you:  
Aly K  
Bigamericanflirt  
Embry  
i run with scissors  
Xx-Jackies-Gurl-16-xX  
And anyone else who read this. **

_Also, anyone who likes Rent fanfictions (especially, Mark/Roger and Angel/Collins) should read the fanfictions by anangelslament! I am totally advertising for my friend, so don't hate me, but this is a completely unbiased opinion, they really do rock and you should read them!_


	12. Revenge and Fear

Isabelle walked into the living room, tugging on Jack's short t-shirt and pulling up the boxers that hung much too low on her waist. Evelyn was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, the morning news playing in the background. Accidentally, Isabelle stepped on a loose floor board. It creaked causing her to look up from her paper and over at Isabelle.

"Good morning, Isabelle," Evelyn said politely. She waved her over, patting the side of the couch next to her with her free hand. "Come take a seat over here."

Taking the seat, Isabelle smiled self-consciously. She looked down at her bare legs, completely self-conscious of her bruises that were exposed. She folded her arms on top of her knees, trying to cover as much as she could.

"I don't understand how you could protect that man," Evelyn said, honestly.

"Because he's the only family I have left," she replied.

"Well, that's just not true." Evelyn folded her newspaper and turned towards Isabelle, a sincerely sweet look upon her face. "The minute you walked through that door you were instantly family. Everyone here feels that way. Bobby protects you like you're his little sister, and so will Jeremiah and Angel, after they meet you tomorrow. And Jack, well, you only have to look at him to see how he feels about you."

Isabelle smiled and looked away. It was a bit embarrassing having Evelyn tell her all of this, but it was also comforting. She did feel like she had a family here.

"Your boys are coming home tomorrow?" Isabelle asked.

"Yes," she said, proudly. "Jeremiah just had a baby, my first granddaughter. Angel said he'd try to make it as well, but who knows with him. He's more reliable than Bobby, but not by much."

"Speaking of Bobby, where are he and Jack?" Isabelle asked.

"They went to go get some of your stuff."

"Miss Evelyn, I don't think that that was such a good idea," she said. She sat up on the edge of the seat and looked over at her. "My father, he's still home. Them being there-"

"It's a better idea than having you go there. Everything will be fine, I promise."

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"Bobby, I don't know if this is such a good idea," Jack said, looking out the car window. "Last night Isabelle sounded like she knew something was going to go down today. She made it seem like she didn't want us to do anything to him."

"You gonna listen to your girl or are you gonna do what you know this bastard deserves?" Bobby asked, angrily.

"It's not that simple."

"Izzy's scared as shit, right now, Jack, she ain't in no condition to make decisions."

"Is that it, or do you feel some need to solve everything?"

"You're her fuckin' boyfriend, little brother, you should be just as angry as I am."

"I am angry. I wanna kill her fuckin' father, you have no idea how much. But if this were to get back to Belle, it would hurt her in a way that you have no idea about."

"Jack, you know what, be a pussy and go home. But I ain't letting him get away with it," Bobby said. He opened the car door and got out. Standing by Jack's side he glanced over at his brother. "You comin' or what?"

Jack sighed and opened the door, quickly getting out. He and Bobby walked up the pathway to Isabelle's house, Jack lagging behind slightly. He wanted to get revenge on the guy, wanted to make him pay for ever hurting Isabelle. However, what Isabelle said the night before kept replaying in his head. Logically, he knew she was right but he also knew the minute he walked into the house and everything started to go down, he would no longer have any control over what he did. Jack was afraid of what he, himself, could do.

Sticking one hand into his pocket, Bobby knocked on the door with the free one. Jack stood off to the side, deciding that if Mr. Leary saw the both of them right away he would be better prepared to fight them off. A surprise attack from Jack would be effective. The door slowly swung open and Mr. Leary stood there in a drunken stupor. He went to slam the door shut in Bobby's face, but he stuck his hand out, holding it open and forcing his way in, Jack right behind him.

"Get the fuck out of my house before I call the cops," Mr. Leary said.

"Why the fuck should we listen to you? Did you listen to Isabelle when she told you to get out of her fuckin' room? Or when she told you to get the fuck off of her?" Bobby asked, angrily. He pushed Mr. Leary against the wall, knocking a picture off of it as he slammed into it. "Nah, I don't think so."

"I made mistakes," Mr. Leary said.

"You made mistakes?" Jack asked. He walked over to him, anger spewing from his eyes. "A mistake is forgetting to show up to her ballet recital or forgetting that she had a damn birthday coming up. Going into her room at night and forcing yourself on her is not a fuckin' mistake! You are the fuckin' scum of the earth and you will know what it feels like to have somebody forced on you every night when you land in prison for what you've done."

Bobby looked over at his brother. He was surprised that Jack could act like that, he had never heard him utter one unkind word in his life. Even when they fought he maintained decency to him. Jack was vicious now, an animalistic anger to him in his eyes, Bobby was afraid of what he could do.

"Jack, relax," Bobby whispered.

Jack didn't hear him as he walked over to Mr. Leary and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him out of Bobby's grasp. He pushed him against the wall, slamming him so hard that he was sure there would be an indent.

"How the fuck could you do that to your own daughter?" Jack asked. He punched him square in the jaw, so much for not leaving marks. "How the hell could you do that?"

Bobby pulled Jack off of the man and pushed him aside. He went over to Mr. Leary, who was bleeding from the busted lip that Jack just gave him, and smirked mischievously.

"You've seen what my baby brother is capable of, although I am sure had I let him he could have done much worse," Bobby started. "But you see, he's the pacifist of the family and I'm the certifiable psycho who wouldn't even blink if I were to hurt you so badly that you wouldn't be able walk on your own ever again. Which is a very likely situation considering you hurt one of the family. You see, Jackie boy here is in love with Isabelle and I've adapted to her quite well, she's like my little sister and nobody, I mean NOBODY, messes with a Mercer, whether by name or by association, and gets away with it."

"What are you gonna do?" Mr. Leary asked.

Bobby looked over at Jack, who was waiting anxiously for another shot at him. Bobby started to feel guilty brining Jack into this, he hated violence, had experienced too much of it in his past, and Bobby knew that if Jack would feel badly later for what he had done, even if the man deserved it.

"I ain't gonna do nothing," Bobby replied, letting him go. Mr. Leary fell down onto the floor.

"Bobby, what the fuck?" Jack exploded. "You're just gonna let him go?"

"Jack, shut up!" he yelled. He turned back to Mr. Leary and glared down at him. "You're never going to mention our little meeting to anyone, as far as you're concerned it never happened. If anyone asks you about the bruises or the busted lip you got shit faced and got into a bar fight. You are to never have any contact with Isabelle ever again. And if you break any of these terms, I will come here and without so much as a second thought I will kill you. I don't even know why I am giving your sorry excuse for a life a second chance, but I am."

"Come on, Bo-"

"Jack, go grab Isabelle's things," he instructed.

"Bobby, why don't you go get her stuff and let me watch him?"

"Now, Jack."

Hesitantly, Jack walked over to the staircase and ran up to Isabelle's room. He ran over to her closet and opened it, noticing a suitcase inside. He grabbed it and noticed how heavy it was. He threw it onto the bed and opened it up, seeing that she had already packed things into it.

"Clever girl," he whispered. Jack quickly zippered it up and ran back down the stairs, seeing Bobby hovering over Mr. Leary. "I got it."

"Good, let's go."

Bobby turned away from the man, ready to leave the house, Jack upset at his decision. He was about to walk out the door but turned back towards the man. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but instead kicked him hard in the ribs and spat on him.

"I didn't get any hits in," he explained.

Jack stood there amazed at Bobby's simple explanation to it. Grabbing Jack by the shirt he pulled him out of the house and down the pathway. The both of them quickly ran into the car and drove way.

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It was nearly four and Isabelle was starting to worry. Jack and Bobby still hadn't returned yet and she knew that the two of them were up to something. As walked into the kitchen, sitting down at the table across from Evelyn who sat there cutting something.

"I would extend the offer for you to help except in honesty I am afraid to give you a knife right now in the state you're in," Evelyn joked.

"I'm just worried about Jack and Bobby, they're not exactly the most rational of people," Isabelle said, looking over at her. "I don't want anything bad to happen to either one of them."

"Don't worry, they'll be fine. My boys know how to handle themselves," she assured her.

Isabelle smiled softly and heard the slam of a car door. She instantly stood up and walked into the living room. Out the window she could see Jack and Bobby walking up the path. She ran over to the door as they walked through it, Evelyn walking into the living as well. Jack looked downtrodden as he walked over to Isabelle, dropped her suitcase onto the floor and wrapped his arms around her. She returned the gesture and slowly pulled away from him so that she could peer up into his eyes.

"What's wrong, Jack?" Isabelle asked. She placed her hands on either side of his face and smiled unsurely. "Are you okay?"

"Izzy, take Jack upstairs, he ain't feelin' so well," Bobby instructed.

"Okay," she replied. She went to grab her bag, but Jack took it from her, resting his hand over hers for a moment. She noticed the broken, red skin on his knuckles and wanted to run her fingers across them and ask him what happened, but could sense that is wasn't a good idea to ask him in front of Evelyn. "Come on, Jack, let's go upstairs."

Isabelle grabbed his other hand and pulled him along with her. Bobby looked over at his mother, an expression of guilt on his face and plopped down onto the couch. He ran his hand along his chin and shook his head softly.

"Ma, I never saw him like that before," Bobby admitted. "He was angry, vicious. He wasn't Jack anymore."

Upstairs, Isabelle was running a hand towel under cool water. She shut the faucet off and turned towards Jack, who sat on the closed lid of the toilet. Kneeling down in front of him she pressed it to his hand gently. The dried blood on his knuckles came off easily, but they were swollen and the mere touch of the material hurt.

"Jack, what happened?" Isabelle asked. She threw the cloth onto the edge of the sink and looked up at him, placing a hand on his knee. "Are you okay?"

"I could've killed him," Jack whispered, staring down at the ground. He was barely blinking and his eyes had a spacey look to them that Isabelle had never seen before. "I would have if Bobby didn't pull me away from. He even knew it."

"My father?"

"No," he said quickly, shaking his head and looking up at her. He placed his hand on the bruise by her eye, frowning. "He is not your father. No man like that could possibly be your father. No one who could do that could be a father to any child."

Jack was on the brink of tears, the water welling up in his eyes. Isabelle placed her hand against his cheek and gently ran her thumb along his skin. Jack looked over at her, ashamed at what he had done and quickly pulled her up to him so that he could hold her against him, needing to feel her warmth in his arms. Wanting to keep someone of her goodness within himself.

"Jack, whatever you did, it's going to be okay," she whispered. She hugged him back tightly and soothing ran his hand against his back.

"I was just like him, Belle. I lost control," he said.

"You will never be like your foster father. There is no way I could love you and believe in you so much if there was even the slightest chance you could turn out like him," she said, shaking her head. "You are Evelyn Mercer's son, you are just like her. I am not going to end up like my parents and you're not going to end like yours. We both know better than that. When I look into your eyes, I see an innocent boy just trying to get by, what I do not see is a cruel emotionless man and I never will."

"I don't understand."

"You don't have to, Jack," she replied. She kissed his forehead softly and then pulled away so for the second time that night she could peer into his blue eyes that were clouded with pain. "You just have to believe me."

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**Thank you:**  
**Bigamericanflirt  
As well as anyone else who may have read this past chapter.**

* * *

**_A/N:It may or may not take a little bit longer to put up the next chapter. My Microsoft word went all screwy (what a great choice of a word) and unless I can buy and reinstall it tomorrow I might not be able to get the next chapter up until next weekend. Hopefully all goes as planned and it will be fixed by tomorrow otherwise, sorry!_**


	13. Scars

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Jack watched Isabelle getting ready. He was in noticably better spirits than he had been the night before. She looked into the mirror, touching the bruise on her cheek and sighly disappointedly. Jack sat up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist, making her body sway with his.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I thought it would look a little bit better by now," she answered, placing a hand over his.

"It's only been two days, Belle."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that today I get to meet your family with this lovely bruise covered my face like a mask and then tomorrow I'm going to go back to school and endure the rath of my peers, who aren't exactly the most tactful people on the planet," she said.

"I think you're beautiiful," Jack whispered into her ear. "As for my family, Jerry wouldn't say anthing and Angel will probably only be here for an hour or so before he sneaks out to go visit Sofi. If he even makes it here, that is."

"So," Isabelle started, turning around in Jack's arms to face him. "I take it that you learned how to be a gentleman from Jeremiah and that you learn how to charm girls from Angel, but what did you learn from Bobby?"

"How to defend myself and play hockey."

"Oh, very useful in the real world."

"Hell, yeah," he replied, smiling.

Isabelle smiled weakly and turned back to the mirror. She untucked her hair from behind her ear and let it hang down in front of her face, covering the bruise effectively. Jack shook his head and pushed the hair away from her face, leaving the bruise exposed. Isabelle went to protest but he simple grabbed a sheet from off the bed and threw it over the mirror, covering it completely.

"They're evil things, mirrors," Jack said, holding onto her tightly. "They lie. Besides, haven't I ever told you how good purple looks on you?"

Isabelle laughed, loving the way that Jack could turn a tense situation light. She had never felt this happy and scared at the same time, she had never even known it was possible. With a simple word or kiss Jack could put her at ease. She turned in his arms again to face him and looped her arms around his neck, smiling happily. She leaned over to kiss him and felt his arms tighten around her waist, as if to keep her as close as he could.

"Jack, come down here and see you're big brother," a man called from the bottom of the stairs.

Jack grabbed onto Isabelle's hand and pulled her along with him out of the bedroom. As they started down the steps Isabelle saw a friendly looking black man with a toothy grin. He looked like that type of guy who would have done anything for a family member without question and Isabelle instantly guessed that he was Jeremiah.

"Jackie, who is this?" he asked politely, as Jack and Isabelle reached the bottom of the steps.

"The fairy's got a girlfriend, ain't you heard?" Bobby asked, from his spot of the couch, watching hockey.

"This is Isabelle," Jack said, pointing to her.

"I'm Jeremiah." Isabelle held out her hand to shake his but he shook his head. "No need for formalities," he said, pulling her into a hug.

Isabelle wasn't used to that sort of behavior, but smiled at the warmth of a person who barely knew. As he let her go she turned backed up into Jack who quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her up against him.

"Oh, this is my wife Camille," Jeremiah said, pointing to the pretty lady who stood next to him with a baby in her arms. "And that is my lovely daughter Daniela. You two knuckleheads are officially uncles," he said to Jack and Bobby.

Jack smiled at the baby and Isabelle looked up at him. His eyes were lighter somehow when he looked at his niece who was sound asleep in her mother's arms.

"She's beautiful," Jack told his brother. "She's so tiny."

"Didn't feel like it when she was coming out," Camille said, lightly.

The baby slowly woke, opening her large brown eyes. She was adorable, she looked like the perfect combination of her mother and father's features. She started to cry softly and Camille handed her to Jeremiah, quickly running to get the diaper bag. Evelyn rushed into the room and took the Daniela from Jeremiah's arms.

"Shh, sweet child," Evelyn said, rocking her softly. "My, oh my, she was a set of lungs on her."

"Yeah, Jackie, maybe she can sing backup in your 'band'," Bobby said.

"Sure thing Bobby, as long as you play the drums," he replied. "We can be the next Patridge Family. Ma's even got the whole Shirley Jones thing down."

Isabelle laughed and broke free of Jack's grasp. She leaned up to give him a small kiss on the cheek and then walked into the living room, taking a seat next to Bobby. He had a beer in one hand, the remote in the other, and his mouth going off a mile a minute yelling expletives at the television screen.

"Can you calm down your language? My child ain't gotta hear that," Jeremiah said.

"She ain't gonna remember this shit," Bobby replied, turning towards his brother. "Besides, we're losing by four to these fuckin' Canucks."

"Personally, I'm rooting for the Toronto Maple Leaves," Isabelle said.

"Fuckin' serious?"

"Yeah, I'm serious," she replied. She turned towards the television and then back at Bobby. "They make the next three goals they set up for then you gotta stop cursing in front of the child."

"Make it four and you got a deal," Bobby answered.

"You're on," she replied, shaking his hand.

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The rest of the day went off without a hitch. Bobby had been forbidden to curse after the Leafs had done just as Isabelle had predicted. Angel had appeared, but only for a momnet. Jack was right, he was in and out of the house quickly, off to visit Sofi, or La Vida Loca, as Bobby liked to call her. After dinner Evelyn and Camille took off with little Daniela while Bobby and Jeremiah went to go deal with some 'business.' Isabelle and Jack went up to their room to relax.

"How'd you come to stay with Evelyn?" Isabelle asked.

Isabelle was lying down on the bed beside Jack, playing with his hand. She was intertwining their fingers and holding them high above their heads, using the ceiling as the background behind their jumbled mess of bones and flesh. She was concentrating on his hand, calloused and rough, small hairs beginning to form on the back of it, and was almost startled when he began to speak.

"She found me on 43rd St. a few weeks after I ran away from the situation I was living in," he said.

Looking over at him, Isabelle dropped their hands in between them and cocked her head to the side a bit. 43rd St. sounded familiar to her, like it was infamous. She was trying to put a story to the name when Jack answered it for it.

"It's a trick street."

"Trick street? As in prosti…" Her voice trailed off and she looked down into his eyes. "Oh. I didn't know."

"Evelyn's the only one that does," he admitted. "Besides you."

"What was she doing there? It doesn't seem like a place where Miss Evelyn would go."

"She ran into me at a store one night, caught me stealing." Jack rolled over so that he was resting on his shoulder and looked over at Isabelle. "She told me she'd be watching out for me from that point on to make sure that I didn't get into anymore trouble. I was a smartass back then, even more so than I am now, and I basically dismissed it and walked away."

"She saw something in you," Isabelle whispered.

"Later that night, I was hangin' out on the corner on 43rd and I was about to get into some guy's car when she came running around the corner, faster than I've ever seen some adult run, let alone some older lady, and yelling, 'Don't you dare touch my boy! I'll kill you if you touch one blonde hair on his head!'" Jack smiled to himself and shook his head softly, a strand of his hair falling in front of his eyes. "I was pissed at first, you know, but she grabbed my arm and pulled me away from there and threw me into her car. There was something so warm about her that when she asked me why I was there I told her the truth, I told her all about my foster father and everything that happened."

Jack paused and looked over at Isabelle who was looking at him, she let go of his hand and gently began brushing his hair away from his face. She leaned up to kiss his forehead and he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her against him.

"The next day Evelyn got me situated. She took me out of my foster father's house and filed a formal complaint. After all the trials were over she officially adopted me."

"How long were you on the streets for?" Isabelle asked.

"About a month, maybe a bit longer," he answered. "After everything my foster father had done to me, I just thought that doing that on the street would be no different and it wasn't. I didn't enjoy, I didn't even loathe it, I was just sort of indifferent to it. I just didn't care what I had to do or what people did to me."

Slowly, Isabelle unwrapped Jack's arms from around her waist and sat up. Jack did the same, watching her intently. She slid closer to him and started to lift the fabric of her shirt just a bit above her belly button and showed Jack. There was a raised, white scar from her belly button to about an inch above it. Jack reached out and ran his fingers along it. Isabelle kept her eyes on his face, watching as he took in the sight and feel of stomach.

"What happened?" he asked.

"It's not nearly as bad as what happened to you, but that's what my fa…What Mr. Leary did to me one time when he was drunk," she answered. Jack looked up at her, wanting to pull her into his embrace, but knowing that she needed to explain further, to get it off her chest. "He cut me with his pocketknife the first night he went after me. He told me that he wanted to make sure that I felt self-conscious so that I wouldn't be ruined by some bastard in this town, then he ruined me himself. His little theory though was right, I mean it worked, I guess. You're the first person I ever let see it."

Jack's hand was still resting against it, the heat from his skin flowing into her stomach. He placed his free hand on her back and gently forced her to lie down. Isabelle looked over at him, her eyes showing that she was frightened. Jack gently ran his hand along her back soothing her in serenity. He rolled on top of her and slowly slid down so that his lips were near the scar. He removed his hand from her stomach and quickly replaced it with his lips. Soothingly, he kissed her scar. It was a completely innocent gesture, he was trying to comfort her, but as he placed his hands on either side of her waist her torso tensed and he stopped sensing how uncomfortable she was.

"It's not you," she whispered, ashamed.

"I know," he said. He laid down beside her again, resting his head on the same pillow she was using and turned so that they were face to face. He let his hand go back to the scar, warming her skin again. "We both have scars we have to heal."

Isabelle smiled weakly and placed her hand over his and held it there. The both of them laid there, staring at each other, their hands pressed against one another and letting the gentle drumming of the rain hitting the window outside take over the silence in the room for a moment. She pulled her hand away from his and sat up, shaking her head.

"I can't just sit here and pretend like I'm in some bad Lifetime movie about abused teenagers, Jack," Isabelle said. "My whole life has been like that and I don't want it to be anymore."

"Me neither. If you have any suggestions just tell me," he replied, sitting up.

"I do have one," she replied. She leaned down and kissed him softly. She grabbed the fabric of his shirt and gently pulled him close to her so that as she rolled over onto her back he was on top of her. "Jack…"

"Yeah," he asked, pulling away from her softly.

"Have you ever heard of a theory where you would have to push the boundaries of your comfort zone to truly get over something?" she asked.

"No."

"It made me feel good when you kissed my scar but it also made me nervous. Maybe I just need to experience that. Get through my past by experiencing a scary situation with someone I trust. Someone who I know would never hurt me."

"I don't understand, Belle," he replied.

Isabelle looked up into his blue eyes and gently touched his brow. He looked down at her confused and shook his head softly. A strand of his hair fell down in front of his face, making a shadow on the delicate pale skin of Isabelle's cheek. She pushed the piece of hair away from his face and positioned it behind his ear.

"I guess with you I just need to state it simply," she replied, lightly. "Jack I want you to make love to me."

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**So will they or won't they? I have something in mind, something written, but I want you all to tell me what you think!**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (Yeah, I totally imagined Jack being really hot when he was mad, as well.)  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (Wow, massive amounts of reviews in one day! But thank you, and I so wasn't mad! Although, I am glad that you did review.)  
Renni (Thank you for you're kind words. I am glad that you like the story enough to check to see when I update.)**

**Also, I am gettting Microsoft Word back tomorrow, so hopefully nothing will stop it being updated at it's usual pace.**


	14. You and Me

_"Everything she does is beautiful/ Everything she does is right"  
You and Me by Lifehouse_

"Isabelle, are you sure?" Jack asked, timidly.

"Yes," she replied, smiling up at him. She placed a hand one hand on his chest and wrapped the other one around his waist, resting his fingers just inside the waistband of his jeans. "Are you nervous?"

"Yeah," he admittedly, nodding. "It's just I've never, technically, done this before. I mean, been with someone I actually wanted to be with. It's a lot different."

"I'll be gentle with you," she said, laughing softly. The hand on Jack's chest slowly slid down to the button on his jeans. She unbuttoned it carefully, keeping her eyes on him the entire time, and pulled the zipper down. "I know you'll be gentle with me."

"Of course," he said.

Jack looked down at her and gently slid his hand under the fabric of her shirt. She closed her eyes as his hand slowly ventured upward until it had reached just below the bottom of her bra and he stopped. His hand rested there, sweetly, uninvasively, as he leaned down and kissed her. He gently parted her lips with his and let his tongue lightly run across hers. She moaned softly as Jack's hand slid over her breast and rested there, firmly. He pulled his lips away from her, pressing them to her neck as he pulled her shirt off with his free hand. She helped him and threw it onto the floor below them. She slid his jeans lower so that the only fabric between the two of them was the thin, soft cotton of his boxers. Jack slid his legs out of them and kicked them to the floor as he placed his hand over the waistband of her jeans, his fingers crawling against her skin.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Jack questioned, patiently waiting for to answer.

"Yes," she said, nodding fervently. She took his hand and placed it in between her jeans and underwear, feeling the warmth of his hands through the fabric. "I've never wanted anything more."

Without another word, Jack skillfully undid her jeans. He slid them down her waist and legs, letting his body slide down along with it, kissing the newly exposed areas of skin. Isabelle smiled, closing her eyes and pushing herself deeper into the mattress. She felt the fabric protecting her skin completely disappear, leaving her exposed. Jack quickly moved back up to her, covering her protectively with his body. Kissing him softly, she placed his hands underneath his shirt, moving her hands around him to his shoulder blades. She pulled him closer to him, feeling their breathes subside into one, deep breath together. He kissed her neck as she massaged his back and tried to pull his shirt off. He pulled away from her momentarily, instantly feeling a loss from not being close to her and took it off the rest of the way. Jack pressed his body back to hers before the shirt even hit the floor. Isabelle laughed, his eagerness somehow endearing to her.

"I love you," Jack whispered into her ear.

"I love you, too," Isabelle replied. She smiled, feeling his hands gently roam her body.

She should have been nervous, she knew it. Any normal person would be nervous being with the one person they loved the most in nothing but their underwear heading into unknown territory. However, she could not feel the nervousness coming anymore, she felt safe in his grasp, his touches soft and kind. Jack led her face to his and kissed her again. She closed her eyes, letting the pleasure of his touch over take her. She reached down to his boxers, but Jack pulled away slightly.

"Not yet," he replied.

Pulling away from her completely, Jack lowered himself to the very edge of the bed so that he was near Isabelle's feet. She looked over at him, wondering what he was going to do, when all of a sudden, he genly pressed his lips to one of the bruises on her legs. Lingeringly, Jack slowly moved his lips up to kiss every bruise on her body, sending numerous, unbelieve sensations through her body. She let out soft, little gasps from her mouth and smiled when Jack finally reached her stomach. The large bruise on her stomach was soothed and comforted by the undeniably soft flesh of Jack's lips. Never letting his lips leave her skin, he looked up with his eyes almost as if asking permission and then slowly moved his lips to her scar again. He kept his hands off of her sides, determining that it had been the reason for the incident before, and docilely kissed the scar. He opened his mouth and let his tongue trace the raised white mark and she moaned loudly, unable to keep quiet any longer. She reached down and ran her hands through his hair, silently begging him to come back up to her. He obeyed her wordless command and positioned himself so that he was eye level with her, their legs entangled pleasantly.

"Ready?" he asked, his voice a low whisper.

"Yes," she replied, as Jack's hands slid to her back, undoing the straps. "You?"

"Yeah," he answered.

Isabelle watched his eyes as he pulled away the remaining fabric on her body, loving the way his face lit up like he was unwrapping a present. She slowly reached down, sliding off his boxers and tossing to the floor carelessly. Jack reached over beside them and pulled the blanket around the two of them lovingly. Jack gently kissed the skin just above her chest, tasting her. Isabelle could feel Jack pressing up against her leg and bit her lip as he moved so that his body hovered over hers. He reached over into his bedside table and pulled open the drawer. He pulled out a condom, Isabelle looked away as he ripped it open, finding it a bit odd to watch, and then he put it on. He pressed a hand to her bruised cheek and kissed the tip of her nose, lowering himself to her. As he pulled his face away from hers he slowly began to thrust himself into her, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. Closing her eyes, Isabelle arched her back so that she pressed herself into him.

"That feels good," Isabelle gasped. She wrapped her arms around him, letting her arms clutch onto his back. "Hmmm..."

Smiling, Jack leaned down to Isabelle, biting down softly on her neck. She laughed quietly, throwing her head back and running her fingernails down his back, causing Jack to wince softly. Isabelle opened her eyes and looked up at him, intensifying their connection. She bit her lip to keep herself from being too loud as Jack moved faster, his hands skimming her body. He was looking back down at her, his light blue eyes causing Isabelle to melt. He could feel himself quickly coming undone and knew that Isabelle too was almost there. He leaned down to her, kissing the corner of her lips just as the two of felt the last tinges of intense pleasure. Isabelle moaned loudly, her voice muffled by Jack's lips and he let out a low, deep growl.

Slowly, a sweaty, panting Jack rolled over and collapsed beside her. She laughed enjoyably and kissed the side of his neck before sitting up. She wrapped the sheet around her body and climbed over Jack. He placed his hands on her waist, holding her to him.

"Where are you going?" he asked, huskily.

"Shower," she replied. "I think everyone will know something is up if they come home and we look like this."

Isabelle released her body from his grip and walked out of the room. Jack quickly got up and followed her into the bathroom.

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**A/N: I would have had this chapter up yesterday, but stuff got in the way (such as getting a car for Graduation! Yay me!) and then I didn't have time to finish it unitl one in the morning and when I went to upload it, the site wouldn't let me! Originally, this was NOT going to happen! Reading the reviews however, I felt that I might have been killed if I did not let it occur. LOL. I am really really bad at writing moments of 'itimacy'! Also, I know one sentence in the descriptive paragraph seems really out of place (the whole condom thing) but I felt that absolute need to put that in (a friend, two years younger than me, just gave birth to a baby last monday! Fifteen!) so if it seems sort of like after school special sentence, I am sorry. Again, I am really really bad at writing these sort of things, but constructive criticism is much appreciated, just don't be too harsh/**

**Thank Yous:**

**4everdreaming  
Bigamericanflirt (Okay...relax and breathe...I am fearful of how you might have reacted had they not done the deed in this chapter!)  
Embry  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr ('lay it one me sugah dad' eh? LOL, now I have this image of Jack saying, and I do not know why! LOL)  
Renni  
Shining Star of Valinor (8 consecutive Chapters and reviews in one day! Wow!)  
Xx-Jackies-Gurl-16-xX (Glad to bring you over to the Jack side of the spectrum, although, Bobby Mark Wahlberg gotta love him!)  
And anyone else I may have forgotten!**

**Review please!**


	15. Love, Fear, Strength

"Isabelle, Jack, are you two almost ready?" Evelyn called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Yeah, ma, just a second," Jack replied.

Isabelle was sitting on the bed watching Jack get ready. She was amused that it took him longer to get ready than it did for her. Quietly, she stood up and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his clothed shoulder blades. Jack smiled and placed his hand over hers on his stomach.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked.

"Okay?" Isabelle questioned. He turned around in her grasp, so that he was facing her, and placed a hand to her cheek. "What do you mean?"

"I…I mean, after last…last night," he said. Isabelle smiled amusedly and watched him stumble through his words. "It's just that…I didn't hurt you…Did I?"

"No, baby," she replied, shaking her head. She kissed him softly and held tightly onto him. "You were perfectly gentle and amazing."

"Amazing?" he asked, a slight playful cockiness in his voice.

"Yes." Smiling, Isabelle dropped her arms from his waist. "We should go downstairs."

"Yeah, I'll be right down. Go ahead without me," he said, kissing her forehead softly.

Jack watched Isabelle as she left the room. He looked back towards the mirror and sighed. The night before to Jack had meant more to him than anything ever had. He didn't know that it could be that way. At such a young age he had been taught that things of a sexual nature were punishment, dirty, unnatural, but with Isabelle everything was perfect. He loved her, there was no denying that, and because of that it felt right.

Looking back in the mirror, Jack fixed one strand of his hair and turned away from it and headed down the stairs. He could hear his mother and Isabelle talking as he reached the bottom step. He walked towards the kitchen and saw that Isabelle was sitting at the table as Evelyn cooked and spoke.

"Good morning, Jack," Isabelle said.

"Morning," he said, walking over to her and kissing the top of her head. He walked over to Isabelle and hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, "I love you."

"Now eat before it gets cold, we have a big day ahead of us. Meanwhile, convince Isabelle she needs to eat too." She placed a plate in front of Jack as he took a seat.

"What big day?" he asked. He looked over at Isabelle, sliding his chair closer to her. "And you're going to eat something."

"Isabelle and I are going to file a formal complaint and I'm going to try to obtain temporary custody of her."

"You're adopting my girlfriend?" he asked. He cut a piece of the french toast and fed it to Isabelle, playfully but forcibly, getting her to eat it.

"Not really," Evelyn said. "That would be rather odd. I'm just going to try to make it so that instead of going home she can stay here until the trial and everything is over."

"Trial?"

"Freaky, isn't it?" Isabelle asked.

"What's gonna happen to you after the trial?"

"I'm going to apply for emancipation so that I can live on my own."

"You're leaving?"

"Jack, it's some time away, don't worry," Evelyn said. "Besides, she won't be going anywhere, emanicipated or not, until she graduates. She's much too smart to ruin her future."

Jack smiled at the way his mother boasted about Isabelle. He looked over at Isabelle, she wasn't nearly so sure about the situation. Her eyes were cast down on the table, barely blinking. Jack reached out and grabbed her hand, he kissed it softly and ran his thumb along the back of it.

"Are you ready for all of this?" Jack asked.

"Were you?" she replied. He shook his head, no. "I'm not either. I'm afraid. He has a way with words, he could twist it around and make it look like I was the bad one."

"Well, I won't let him," Evelyn said.

"Neither will I," Jack agreed.

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Isabelle and Jack sat in the back of Evelyn's old, beaten up car. He had his arm wrapped around her shoulder, letting her lean against him. He looked down at her, she had her eyes close softly and to the untrained eye it would appear as if she were sleeping, but Jack knew that she wasn't. Worry lines were present on her face, her eyebrows furrowed, she was thinking about her father and the upcoming problems that could be arising.

"It's going to be okay," Jack whispered, kissing the top of her head.

Instantly, Isabelle's eye shot open and she peered up at him. She smiled faintly, a Mona Lisa smile, and pressed her hand into his. Jack intertwined their fingers, bringing them up to his lips so that he could kiss her fingers.

"I love you, Belle, I'm not going to let anything happen to you again," he said.

"You're just a boy, Jack. Don't make promises that you can't keep," Isabelle replied, harshly. She sat up, pulling herself away from him.

"Isabelle, wh-" he started, reaching out to touch her cheek.

"Don't touch me," she replied.

Isabelle wrapped her arms around herself and turned to face out the window. She could feel Jack's eyes on her, but she tried her best to ignore it. She hated herself for the way she reacted to him but, for a lack of a better excuse, she didn't know what else to do. Without looking away from the window she reached out to the side of her and grabbed his hand. It was an unspoken apology.

Evelyn got into the car and instantly felt the tension. She looked at the backseat, Isabelle and Jack were sitting far apart, both of them looking out their own window, only their hands touching. Slowly, Evelyn turned back towards the front of the car and pulled out of the driveway.

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"When did the abuse start?" Mrs. Henderson asked.

Isabelle was sitting in front on one side of a table with Evelyn and the social worker sat across from her. Jack was sitting outside in the waiting room, impatiently. With her eyes cast down on the table, Isabelle answered the questions.

"Nine years old."

"Was this physical or mental abuse?"

"Physical."

"Violence or se-"

"Violent from age nine to thirteen when he found out a better way to torture me was to take away my innocence," she spat out bitterly.

"She's just trying to help you, Isabelle," Evelyn said. She placed her hand over the girl's and smiled softly. "I know Mrs. Henderson, I was the one who suggested her for your case. Since I can no longer work on it, I felt the need to have some who I trust be your social worker. She is someone I whole-heartedly trust. You should too."

"I'm sorry," she replied, ashamed.

"It's okay," Mrs. Henderson said. "Actually, you respond a lot better than most of teenagers brought to me do."

Isabelle nodded softly and looked up at her.

"I know it's not easy to go through, I've done it too, so trust me when I tell you I know where you are emotionally, even though it seems clichéd as hell," Mrs. Henderson.

"Okay…"

"Now, I have to ask you this and it may be a bit sensitive, but how many times would you say the sexual abuse occurred?"

"Once a week since I was thirteen, sometimes more," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "He was usually drunk."

"Have you had any other sexual partners?" Mrs. Henderson questioned.

"Is that pertinent to the case?" Isabelle asked, looking her in the eye.

"Yes." Mrs. Henderson looked over at Isabelle and then at Miss Evelyn. "Ms. Mercer, it might be better if I talk to Isabelle alone, would you mind?"

"Sure," Evelyn said, standing up. She placed her hand on Isabelle's shoulder softly. "If you need me I'll be out in the waiting room with Jack, okay?"

Isabelle nodded softly, but didn't look back at her. She felt guilty, ashamed all of a sudden. She wasn't regretting her decision the night before, however, she was fearful of the consequences. As soon as Evelyn was out of the room Mrs. Henderson turned towards Isabelle and leaned back in her chair, a more relaxed atmosphere, or so she was trying to pass it off as.

"Isabelle, you seemed upset about the question," Mrs. Henderson said.

"I wasn't upset," she replied, shaking her head. "It's just not something I thought I was going to be asked. It's not something I thought would be important."

"In sexual abuse cases a person's history in that context usually comes into question. Especially if it goes to trial, which this probably will," she informed her. "Have you?"

"Yes, one other person, one time," she answered.

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Evelyn walked out into the waiting room to find Jack pacing the length of it nervously. He heard the door of the room close and looked up over at Evelyn, instantly noticing that Isabelle wasn't with her. A look of disappointment swept over his face as he made his way over to her.

"Is she okay?" Jack asked.

"She's doing fine, Jack. Isabelle's strong, you know that," Evelyn replied, smiling softly.

"I'm just worried, I know what it was like for me, I hate knowing that she's going through it too," he replied.

"Jack, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, ma."

"Isabelle reacted rather oddly to a certain question and I was just wondering if you could possibly tell me why," she said. Jack nodded, signaling for her to continue as Evelyn walked over to the row of chairs and sat down. "They asked her if she had any other sexual partners, Jack."

Jack looked down at the floor and slowly walked over to Evelyn. He took the seat next to her, folding his arms in his lap, unable to look up at her.

"I'm the other person," Jack replied. "How badly is this going to hurt her case?"

"I don't think it will, Jackie," she replied. "And I didn't even assume it was you, I kind of thought that maybe someone else had attacked her. You're the only one she's told her past to, I just thought you would have known who it was."

"So I just admitted something personal without any justification?" he questioned. He shook his head. "Don't tell Isabelle you know."

"I won't."

Jack laughed nervously and stood up, to resume his pacing around the waiting area. Evelyn watched her son, never had she seen him so worried. He loved Isabelle, that had been apparent to her before the moment she had met her, but she didn't think that it could exist so deeply.

"Jack, I want to tell you something," Evelyn said, standing up. She walked over to her son and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Isabelle is so lucky to have you, Jack. She is going to be okay because she does. You helped her be strong. You don't have to worry."

"I know. It just brings a lot of it back to me," he admitted. "But the weird part of it all is that I'm not mad about any of it anymore, it all makes sense now."

"What do you mean?"

"Since I've lived with you my whole life has been different. You taught me what it was to love another person and you taught religion, faith, knowing that there is a reason for everything. If what I went through in my past never occurred I probably wouldn't know Isabelle or have this connection to her. God's got a plan for all of us, right?" he asked, softly. "But at the same time, I would give it all up. I would live my life without Isabelle, no matter how different I would be, at the drop of a hat if I could take away all the pain in her past. I'd go through it again just so she wouldn't have to."

"You were an amazing boy, Jack," Evelyn said, hugging her son tightly. She kissed him on the cheek softly, looking up at his eyes still seeing the boy he was when he first came to her. "And you are an amazing man, don't let anyone tell you any differently."

"I'm not."

The door to the room swung open and Jack glanced over at it, seeing Isabelle standing in the doorway. Without one word spoken between the two of them, they met each other halfway and Jack wrapped his arms around her. He could feel the sadness exuding from her and didn't know how else to comfort her.

"You okay?" he asked, kissing the top of her head. He felt her head nod softly against his chest and her arms wrap around his waist to keep him close to her. "I love you."

"Is that you're answer for everything?" she whispered.

"No, it's just how I always feel."

"I love you, too," she replied, pulling away slightly so that she could see his face.

Mrs. Henderson walked over to Evelyn as the two teenagers went off to the side. She saw the way Jack carefully sat Isabelle down on the chair next to him and attentively touched her face and knee.

"He loves her a great deal, doesn't he?" Mrs. Henderson asked.

"Yes, he does," Evelyn replied, smiling. "We all do."

"Ms. Mercer, I am granting you temporary custody of Isabelle Leary. In about an hour a cop will go and pick up Mr. Leary and put into police custody. Tomorrow, with a police escort, Isabelle may go back into her house and gather the rest of her belongings."

"You hear that? You're officially a temporary Mercer," Jack joked, whispering into her ear.

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**Thank You:**

**4everdreaming (Wow, you are far too kind...Seriously. Thank you so much for the nice review especially since I was so worried about that chapter!)  
Bigamericanflirt (lol, I am glad that it made you "the happiest person alive." Please, do breathe, I don't want anyone dying on my conscience.)  
Dunamess  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A4rdClssRkStr (Ah, you're not torturing me...You're reviews are always quite insane and entertaining! Also, I feel so bad because every time I ask for your help it ends up coming to me right afterwards andI feel really bad, but I promise one day I will take you up on your offer! Sorry!)  
i run with scissors  
Shining Star of Valinor (Wow...That's all I have to say about your review...Also, "Doo and Woo" lol.)**


	16. Home

"Miss Leary, I'll wait down here for you," Officer Jamison said, standing by the door. Miss Evelyn was standing behind him, talking politely to his partner. "Mr. Mercer can help you."

Isabelle nodded as she began to walk up the stairs. Jack rushed up behind her and grabbed her hand, following her slowly. The steps creaked beneath their feet and Isabelle couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sadness knowing, that despite the horrible life she lived here, she would never walk this path to her room again. She reached her door and stood in front of it, not moving her feet. She pressed her hand to the wood grain, noticing the cracks in the wood where he had pounded his fists against it.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, concerned.

"Yeah," she replied, her voice a soft whisper.

Looking back at Jack, she gave him a weak smile and squeezed his hand. She opened the door with her free hand and slowly walked into the room. Everything was as she had left it the night Bobby had saved her. Her sheets strewn across the bed carelessly, books thrown onto the floor, shelves knocked over.

"Baby, do you want me to do this for you?" Jack questioned, noticing the uneasiness Isabelle felt in the room. "Just tell me the things you need and I'll pack them up for you."

"No, I can do it," she said. She turned towards him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you for coming in here with me."

Isabelle kissed him softly, surprising Jack. He looked down at her confused. She smiled and kissed him again, this time he responded by placing his hands in the small of her back and pulling her closer to him. As she pulled herself from Jack, she looked him straight in the eye and pushed his hair away from his face.

"So that I have at least one good memory in this room," Isabelle explained.

"Come on, Belle, let's get your stuff so I can take you home… Your real home," he said.

Nodding softly, Isabelle walked over to her closet and found a large duffel bag. She threw it onto the bed and unzipped it then walked over to the dresser, pulling out large handfuls of clothes. Jack helped her by handing her clothes, keeping his eye on her to make sure she was okay.

Once the drawers were clearer out, Isabelle zipped up the bag and knelt down on the floor, reaching for something under the bed. She pulled it out slowly and revealed a large cardboard box. She tried to lift it, but it was too heavy for her. Jack instantly went over and helped her pick it up and put it on the bed.

"What is this?"

"Stuff I hid from him," she answered.

Jack stood beside Isabelle as she opened the box like a child would. She grabbed the first thing she saw in there and tightly wrapped her arms around it. Looking at the object in Isabelle's arm he recognized it as an old teddy bear, the fur was matted and one of the ears was falling off, but it was something in her past that partially represented something normal in her childhood. He saw the other things in the box such as books, notebooks and other odds and ends.

"Can you carry this for me?" Isabelle asked, folding the box back up.

"Sure, Belle," he replied. He grabbed the box and turned towards her as she grabbed her duffel bag, her teddy bear still in her arms. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

As they walked towards the door Isabelle glanced back into the room and a cold chill passed through her.

_"I know what you've been doing…Who you've been doing it with," Mr. Leary harshly said. He grabbed hold of Isabelle's hair in his fist and pulled her neck back. "You're not gonna fuckin' leave me like she did. You're gonna be here forever."_

_He pushed Isabelle onto the bed violently, pieces of her hair pulling clumps of her hair out of her head that resided between his thick fingers. Isabelle looked up at him, panting, scared and breathless. She pushed herself up against the headboard of the bed and wanted desperately to scream for help but knowing it wouldn't do anything._

_"Do you understand what I am saying?" he asked, angrily. _

_He was standing over her now, his hot breath that reeked of cheap beer overpowering her senses. When she didn't answer him he grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up off the bed. She whimpered in pain and couldn't help but let the tears, hot and salty finally escape her eyes._

_"Shh…Don't cry. Only the weak cry. You're my daughter, you're not allowed to be weak," he whispered. "You're not-"_

"Belle," Jack said. His voice broke through his bad memory.

Isabelle looked up at Jack, the box he was carrying was now on the floor at his feet. She dropped the duffel bag and wrapped her arms around him, squeezing him so tightly that it was painful to the both of them, but neither one said anything about it.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Nothing important," Isabelle replied, quietly. She shook her head softly and grabbed the bag off of the floor. "I'm not there anymore."

"Are you sure?" Jack questioned.

Isabelle looked back into the room, the vision of the man who was her father and his harsh treatment fading into dust. She could hear for a moment the linger sound of one of his bitter ramblings.

"Are you sure?" Jack questioned.

Isabelle looked back into the room, the vision of the man who was her father and his harsh treatment fading into dust. She could hear for a moment the linger sound of one of his bitter ramblings. _You'll never make it in this world, _the voice said. Isabelle laughed to herself and shook her head. She looked up at Jack and pressed a hand to his cheek, not caring that he was looking down at her confused.

"That bastard's never gonna hurt me again," Isabelle said, as she slammed the door to her old room. "Let's go home."

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**It is very short, I am painfully aware of this...sorry.**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (Who doesn't want a perfect boyfriend...Preferrably one that does, indeed look like Garrett Hedlund)  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (Thank you for the nice P.M., however, I am pretty sure that my story is not so important that you must go through with you plan...Very creative though!)  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors  
Shining Star of Valinor (_Doing the do with Jackie Poo..._I love that, it's great. Also, a big man named Billy, eh? I kind of like the direction you're heading in with the punishment for Mr. Leary...lol.)**

**Important Author's Note:**

**I realize I am taking my time letting everything unfold. I indeed have a lot more to write but I do not want for this story to seem like everything is dragging on and on and on (I think you get the point). So please, I would like all of your opinions on whether I should continue the way I had intended or end it soon. Thank you in advance for your feedback it is much appreciated.**

**Please Review**


	17. Intensity

**This chapter is longer, hopefully making up for yesterday's excruciatingly short chapter...Although though maybe this one is excruciatingly long.**

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Isabelle sat on the couch, cuddling against Jack's chest as they watched television. His one arm was wrapped around her waist while the other ran through her hair softly. Jack kissed the top of her head and pulled her closer, much to her delight.

"I love when you hold me. It makes me feel safe," Isabelle admitted.

"Why?" he asked, curiously.

"Because you're the one person I know will never hurt me." She craned her neck up to peer into his eyes and pressed her hand to his cheek. "I though we went over this before."

"So…" Jack said, pushing Isabelle's hair away from her neck. "What's his name?"

"His name?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he replied, gently tugging on the arm of the stuffed animal cradled against Isabelle's chest. "His name."

"Teddy. Don't mock me, Jack, I've had him since I was like two."

"I wasn't mocking. I think it's cute, actually," he replied. He ran his hand along the fur and Isabelle watched how gently his hands caressed the old toy. "I never had stuff like that growing up."

"You never had a teddy bear?" she asked.

"No, never had any toys really. I was too old for them by the time I came to Evelyn, or so I thought."

Smiling, Isabelle rolled over on top of Jack, her hair hanging down and brushing his face. She felt his arms wrap around her waist as she hovered over him.

"I'm getting you a teddy bear," she said simply.

"I don't need it," he replied.

"I don't care, I'm getting you one." She leaned down and kissed him softly as she pulled away from him she pointed to the bruise on her cheek. "See that? It means I'm injured, which means you have to do everything I say. So if that includes letting me buy you your first teddy bear, then I damn well will."

"You're insane."

"But you love me?"

"Of course, but right now, I think you're killing Teddy," he joked.

Isabelle laughed and pulled away from Jack. As she sat up she felt the grip on her waist tighten. She was about to ask him what he was doing when he gently laid her down on her back and pinned her to the couch, lightly.

"Now you're killing, Teddy," she pouted, childlike.

Jack reached in between the two of them and pulled the stuff animal out. He placed it on the coffee table to the side of them and then returned to Isabelle. He placed his lips to her neck, his nose nuzzling against her earlobe. She laughed, pushing him away and pressing her hands to his cheeks.

"You're so handsome, Jack," Isabelle said.

"Yeah, Jack, you're a real looker," Bobby said, walking into the living room.

"Fuck," Jack groaned.

Jack rolled off of Isabelle and sat on the edge of the couch. He looked over at Bobby, glaring at him, as Isabelle sat up and rested her head on Jack's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his neck.

"Isabelle, is the fairy bothering you?" he asked.

"Nah," she replied, scrunching up her nose. "Bobby, can't you stop with the insinuations of Jack's wavering sexuality?"

"Why would I do that? It's too much fun to mock him," he replied.

Isabelle laughed and leaned closer to Jack, whispering something into his ear and laughing. She stood up and grabbed Jack's hand, pulling him along with her past Bobby and over to the stairs.

"Where are you two going?" Bobby asked.

"Upstairs," Isabelle replied, smirking back at Bobby.

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Isabelle shut the bedroom door and rested against it, watching Jack take a seat on the edge of the bed. He looked up at her, smiling softly, and reaching his hands out to her. She walked over to him, standing between his open arms. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he pulled as close to the bed as he could and looked up at her.

"What?" Isabelle asked.

"Nothing, I'm just looking at you."

"Why?"

"Because I want to," he replied. He smiled and pressed his lips to her clothed stomach. His hands slowly, slid up under her shirt and over her back. "Come sit down."

Without much thought to it, Isabelle sat down in Jack's lap, so that her legs hung down on either side of him and they were facing one another. Jack smiled at her, his grip tightening with one hand as he pressed the other to the side of her head, gently stroking her hair. Isabelle always felt sort of uneasy at moments like this. Moments where Jack just looked at her, not saying anything, just touching a part of her gently and holding her. He spoke, silent, loving words with his eyes and touch, while she feared that she was completely mute, unable to express such things.

If she told him the truth, she would tell me that she feared what he saw when he looked at her. Did he see the tortured little girl that she had been, or the girl he fell in love with before knowing her past? Did he see the shade of green eyes that she shared with her father or the crooked grin that she had inherited from her never mentioned mother? Isabelle suddenly felt ill and Jack's eyes concentrating on her made it all the worse.

"Can I admit something to you?" Isabelle asked, breaking the silence.

"Sure thing," he said.

"You're really intense," she informed him.

"Is that bad?" he questioned.

"No, not bad," she said, shaking her head softly. She placed a hand to his cheek and smiled. "Just…Intense." She laughed nervously and slowly slid off of him. "I'm not making much sense, am I?"

"No."

Jack leaned over to her and kissed her neck, gently. He moved closer to her, his arm snaking around her waist, intensifying the way his lips caressed her skin.

"Stop," she said.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No, I just want to…Go through the box I have downstairs, I should probably get rid of some of it."

Standing up, quickly, Isabelle headed over to the door and ran down the stairs. Jack watched her, wondering what was wrong. Her mood swings were becoming more apparent to him, especially on that day, but he didn't know what had encouraged that. He stood up and made his way down the stairs.

"Belle?" he called out.

"Living room," she replied.

As he walked into the room he saw her on the couch, going through the box on the coffee table. Her old teddy bear, resting beside it. He sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her, but she quickly pulled out of his grasp.

"Jack, I'm not really in the mood to be all touchy-feely anymore," she replied.

"Are you feeling okay?" Jack asked, concerned.

"Because I don't want to jump your bones every second of the day something must be wrong with me?" she questioned, getting angry.

"Belle, that's not what I meant and you know that," he said.

Bobby walked into the living room and took the seat across from the couch, turning on the television. Jack and Isabelle continued with their small fight and Bobby looked over at them, slightly amused by it.

"What is wrong with you two? You're gettin' to be worse Angel and La Vida Loca," he said.

"Shut up," Isabelle and Jack replied at the same time, Jack had added the word 'fuck' into his sentence, however.

"And I thought I was a hostile bein'," he replied. He stood up, shutting the television off and walked out of the living room and into the hallway. "I'm gettin' outta here, make sure not to harm one another while I'm gone."

Isabelle looked down at the box and smiled as she pulled something out of it. It was a small tin lunchbox that looked like it could have been used in the fifties. Jack watched as she opened it up, an innocent childlike quality to her face as she did. She looked at the contents and then handed it to Jack. Inside was pictures from when she was little, people and places that seemed just as unfamiliar to Isabelle as they did to Jack. They made her smile though, glow with great luster.

"Is this you?" Jack asked, pulling out a small photo.

"Yeah," she replied, nodding.

Jack looked down at it, smiling. Isabelle looked like she was about five. She was wearing a pink, frilly dress and held the very tin lunchbox that he was holding now, it was just as rusted and dented then as it was now. She was smiling and waving at the camera, a woman stood beside her smiling just like Isabelle did. Features of the woman then were evident on Isabelle now.

"Is that your mother?" he asked.

"Yeah." She stopped going through the box for a moment and looked over at Jack. "Do I look like her?"

"The resemblance is undeniable."

"I wish I didn't," she replied, enigmatically.

Jack didn't ask anymore questions, he though Isabelle had been through enough emotional scars for the day. He watched her reach into the box again, this time laughing softly. She pulled out an old video camera that looked in bad condition.

"I put that in there like a month ago," she said. "I found it in the attic and I hid it from him so that he wouldn't destroy it." She pressed the power button and laughed in amusement as it turned on. "Wow, it's still charged."

Isabelle pointed the camera at Jack and stood up. Jack covered his face with his hand and stood up as well, standing tall over her. She pointed the camera up at his face and continued to film him. She pulled his hand away from his face and held it in her own.

"So, Jack Mercer, when did you decide that you wanted to be a rock star?" Isabelle asked in a serious, journalistic voice. She walked around him with her camera, filming him. He tried to grab it from her, but she stepped out of his way. "Not yet famous and you're already a problem for the paparazzi! Tsk ,tsk, Jack!"

"Come on, Belle, get that out of my face," he said, lightly.

"Answer my questions and I will. This is a formal interview, with the sexy and talent Jack Mercer," she replied.

"You really think I'm sexy?" he asked, smiling. She laughed and pointed the camera in his face. "If I answer your questions, will you stop filming?"

"When I'm done, yes," she answered.

"Okay."  
"Good." Isabelle shut the camera off and looked over at him. "We can't do it here though, let's go upstairs."

"A camera upstairs?"

"Don't think dirty, you aren't getting anything off of me, Jack rabbit." She started to walk towards the staircase, waiting for him halfway up. "Come on. I'm not waiting all day for my rock star. I'll just go onto the next interesting topic when it comes home."

"Which is?"

"The Michigan Mauler."

Jack laughed at Bobby's nickname and ran over to Isabelle. He caught up to her on the staircase and wrapped his arms around her waist as they walked up the rest of the way. She threw open his bedroom door and placed the camera on his dresser. He sat down on the bed as she shut the door and turned towards him. Grabbing the camera and turned it on, getting ready to start.

"Okay, please tell me your name," Isabelle said, always the consummate professional. She grabbed a chair and positioned it in front of the bed so that she could film him directly.

"Belle-"

"Excuse me, sir, but I am Ms. Leary, I do not go by Belle."

Jack smiled and nodded softly. "My name is Jack Mercer."

"What are your future plans?"

"I want to be a singer," he said. He folded his hands in front of him, twiddling his thumbs, Isabelle' zoomed in on his dancing fingers and then zoomed out so that she could capture all of him in frame.

"When did you decide you wanted to be a singer?"

"When I came to live with Evelyn. She told me I could be anything I wanted to be, which is lame and clichéd, I know, but still," he admitted. He smiled at Isabelle, looking up at her, not into the camera. "She heard me humming one day and asked me where I had heard it. I told her that I had made it up myself and she gave me the speech about how whatever I wanted to accomplish I could, as long as I set my mind to it. She gave me a second hand guitar the next day and a composition book."

"What are most of your songs about?" she asked.

Jack suddenly seemed to shy away from the playful interview. He looked down at the bedspread and began to pull at the sole of his shoe. Isabelle zoomed in on his face, noticing a small grin forming on his lips. As he looked up she forgot to zoom away, his lips and the small area of skin around them filling the entire frame.

"They used to be about my past, you know, before I came to Evelyn," he said.

Isabelle watched his lips move through the lens of the camera as he spoke. Each pearly white tooth of his gleamed in the camera, peeking out with each word. His perfectly shaped pink lips, pulled tight as he formed the words he said and grinned.

"Now they're mostly about this girl I'm in love with."

Isabelle dropped the camera slightly, looking up at him with her eyes, no longer skewed by the camera. He smiled, and coughed politely, getting her to get her attention back to the camera. She placed it back to her eye and focused so that Jack's upper body filled the frame.

"This is just between you and I. Right, Ms. Leary?"

"Y…Yeah." She regained her composure, ready to ask more questions. "What's her name?"

"Isabelle Leary. You wouldn't happen to know her, having the same last name and all."

"No, I don't believe I do."

"It's a shame, she's amazing."

Isabelle shut the camera off and dropped it down from her face. Jack smiled at her but she didn't smile back.

"What did I do?" Jack asked, innocently.

"Jack, stop with this whole thing. I mean, come on, let's just do this about your future. I don't want to hear about me. It makes me nervous."

"Fine, just let me finish."

"Ja-"

"Please?" he asked.

Nodding softly, Isabelle turned the camera back on and pointed it at Jack. He leaned back against the headboard, resting his hands behind his head and looking right into the lens, sending shivers through Isabelle with the intensity of his eyes.

"As I was saying, Isabelle is perfect because she's not perfect. We fight, sometimes a lot more than I ever thought two people who cosmically belong together should, but it doesn't deter my love or passion for her. It doesn't make me wonder if we're in it for the long haul because I know that we're meant to be." Jack looked away from the camera and then down at the bed. "Someone like her shouldn't be with someone like me. It's obvious. Someone like her should be with some guy who can give her the world, buy her all the things she could ever want, give her security. I don't know if I'll ever be able to give them to her, but she doesn't seem to mind. I think she would probably live in a cardboard box with me if it ever came down to it. Still, I sometimes wonder if she'll ever come to her senses and leave me for one of these Mr. Perfects."

"I have a feeling she would never do that."

Jack smiled at her and leaned forward, awaiting the next question. Isabelle could barely think straight, though. Words were forming in her head, but none of them were making sense. Finally, she settled on one solitary thought and continued their 'interview.'

"You said this Isabelle girl is perfect because she's imperfect. What are her imperfections, you seem to leave them out except for the fighting thing," Isabelle said, trying to be an unbiased participant. "And the rather paranoid theory on her finding a Mr. Perfect that isn't you."

"She can't cook, at all, she burns water when she tries to boil it. She thinks she's smarter than me, which makes me feel dumb sometimes, because she actually is smarter than me. She had horrible taste in music until she met me. Do you want to know her biggest imperfection?"

Isabelle merely nodded, afraid that her words would fail her. Jack looked at her, not the camera, but her, causing her mouth to get dry and this old feeling brought back to her that she hadn't experienced since they first started their flirtation.

"Her biggest flaw is that she loves every messed up inch of me," he said. "I mean, why else would anyone put up with my shit?"

Isabelle shut the camera off. She placed it on the dresser and slowly walked over to Jack. He sat straight up but Isabelle softly pushed him back against the headboard. She started to kiss him, her hands gently roaming across his chest. Jack's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her on top of him.

"I meant everything I said," Jack whispered. He leaned up to her neck, kissing it passionately. "All of it. I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Isabelle said.

"I thought you-"

"Jack, here's a hint, shut the fuck up when you're ahead."

Isabelle lowered herself to him and welcomed his lips on the base of her neck. As he pulled away she instantly pressed her lips to his, Jack hungrily returned her kisses. He tightened his grip on her waist and rolled over so that she was beneath him. Laughing sweetly, she slid her hands beneath his shirt, trying to remove it smoothly, but it didn't work out that way. As she began to pull it off Jack's arms it got caught and had to try again to tear it off. Neither one of them was discouraged by it. Jack moved slightly on the tiny bed, trying to redistribute his weight as to not crush her and ended up falling off instead.

"Are you okay?" Isabelle asked, out of breath and looking down at Jack.

"Yeah, I think I broke my ass," he replied, standing up.

"I can make it better," she said. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the bed, resting her hands just above the waist band of his jeans. "Let me make you feel better."

"Only if you let me do the same for you," he whispered, huskily.

Laughing happily, Isabelle slid one of her hands into his back pocket, entangling her other one in his hair. He lowered his head to the base of her neck, gently planting kisses on it, slowly leading up to her jawbone. Jack placed his hand on Isabelle's stomach, pushing up the fabric of her shirt slowly. He moved his lips to hers and she bit down on his bottom lip playfully. She took his hand off of her stomach and pulled her shirt off, throwing it onto the floor.

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Jack looked over at Isabelle asleep in his arms. The sheet wrapped around her crinkled as her chest rose and fell with each breath she let in and pushed out softly. Jack kissed her moist, soft skin and removed his hands slowly from her and sat up. He grabbed his jeans off of the floor and slid them on. Isabelle mumbled something in her sleep and Jack watched her, making sure she wasn't going to wake up.

When he was sure that she was going to stay asleep he slid out of the bed and walked over to the camera she had placed on his dresser. He found the power button and turned it on, pointing it over at Isabelle.

"This is how I see you," he whispered, loud enough so that the camera could pick up his voice, but soft enough so that Isabelle wouldn't wake. "This is beauty and I don't know what I did to deserve it. I know it's going to come and bite me in the ass one day, this time I spent with you being happy, but right now this is all I want to remember. The way you smell, taste, look and the spirit that emanates from you."

Jack turned the camera around so that it faced him, he held it at arms length and looked straight into the lens as he spoke.

"There are things I need to tell you, things that I'm afraid to say because I'm scared that it could make me lose you. But I have to tell you. Isabelle, I…"

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**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (More sex? lol, possibly...This chapter was a bit of a tease, I suppose)  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (Thank you for you're review on Chapter 15...Hopefully you didn't have to harm anyone to get computer access. Also, you're not allowed to dance in school? Seriously...Where'sfun is that?)  
Mizz-Whizz49 (I completely agree that no one is perfect and you will soon see that even the gorgeous Jack Mercer is not perfect...Actually, he is quite imperfect. He is a Mercer after all. And thank you for the _long _review, I enjoy them very much!)  
Shining Star of Valinor (Now Billy is not only a big man but a hairy one too? He's getting very descriptive in my head and I really might have to write something like that just to get the image out of my head...lol.)**

**A/N: Also, I would like to reveal the decision I have made in whether or not to end the story...I have decided that I will not until I have come to the original ending I have thought up. It may take awhile so as long as people continue to read and review I will continue on the long (hopefully not too long) meandering path that is my story's original outline. Although, I would like to be informed if anyone finds that my story is getting too long and boring much like my author's note is at the moment...I need to learn to shut up, I truly do.**

**Please Review**


	18. Back to School

"…I know what I just said is probably going to hurt you beyond repair, but I needed to tell you. The only thing I can say now is that I'm sorry and I hope you can forgive me."

Jack shut the camera off and looked back at Isabelle. She was still sound asleep on the bed, she had barely moved from her spot but some of the sheet had ridden up on her bare legs exposing them. He placed the camera back where it had been and walked over to the bed, laying back down on it. He twisted his body to fit hers, pressing his chest to her back and kissing her shoulders.

Feeling that he wasn't close enough Jack pulled Isabelle against him, sliding more of the blanket off of her bare legs. She slowly started to wake. She mumbled something and he reached down to cover them again, resting his hand on her skin longer than necessary as he did. She smiled sleepily and pressed her back against his chest. His arm snaked around her waist, holding her to him.

"Go back to sleep," he whispered. "We have class tomorrow."

Jack looked down at her, still feeling guilty from his confession to the camera. Eventually he would show it to her, as soon as he got the courage. He knew that if tried to tell Isabelle to her face it would never come out. She would look up at him with her eyes, innocent without any doubt that she loved him, and Jack would lose his nerve because he didn't want to lose her.

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The next morning Isabelle and Jack stood outside the school. Isabelle had the hood of one of Jack's hoodies she borrowed pulled over her head, shadowing her face. She didn't want anyone to see the lovely bruise on her face that had only faded slightly. She was nearly invisible in school except for the occasional run in with an idiot or two, but when you have an ugly purple bruise residing on the entire side of your face you could not longer retain anonymity.

"Are you ready?" Jack asked, squeezing her hand tightly.

Nodding softly, Isabelle squeezed his hand back, unable to let it go, and started to walk through the doubles doors of the school. Jack looked over at the side of her face, but could only see the tip of her nose from behind the hood. He reached out to pull back the fabric and she let him, knowing her would never do something to hurt her.

As they walked through the halls they were used to odd looks. Isabelle would get the occasional comment from bad boy groupie sluts who were attracted to Jack merely because of his infamous last name and she was used to it. This, however, was different. It wasn't like there were animus feelings or words being directed at her, they were whispers between girls and giggles. Jack even got a few guys muttering the obscene words at him, believing that he had caused the bruise to Isabelle's face. Neither one of them reacted to any of it. Isabelle desperately wanted to correct the people who blamed Jack but they had made a pact not to say anything. Screw what the rest of the world thought, they knew the truth and no one else needed to.

They neared their homeroom and Jack stopped just a few feet short of the door. He placed his hands on either side of Isabelle's face lovingly and kissed her softly. As he pulled away he saw her just stare into his eyes for a moment, barely blinking.

"I love you," Jack whispered.

"I love you, too," she replied, smiling unsurely.

"Don't worry," he started, letting one of his hands slid from her cheek to her shoulder, "If anyone says anything to you, I'll beat them up for you."

Isabelle laughed softly and looked away from him. She pulled away slightly and Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, the two of them walking into the classroom. They walked over to their seats that were beside one another, not looking at anyone else in the classroom but well aware of their comments and stares.

As soon as Isabelle sat down, Adam walked over to her. Adam was a less than tactful jock, the same one who had caused her to be late on that fateful day which in turn made her get detention and meet Jack. He leaned over her desk, staring straight into her eye on the bruised side of her face and grinned.

"What did Mercer do to you, girl?" Adam asked. He reached out to touch her face but she hit his hand away. "Why do you let him get away with shit like that? I can be so much better for you."

Isabelle noticed Jack tightening her hands into fists. Isabelle reached out with her hand to grab his wrist, gently letting her fingers running against his skin soothingly. With her other one she hit Adam's hand away from her face.

"Jack is more of a man that you ever will be," she replied, looking him straight in the eye. "And assholes like you would ever think he would hit a girl. Which, if you ask me, is just you projecting. I mean, here you are blaming Jack for hitting me, which not to satisfy you little mind but to clarify something to everyone here he didn't, when in reality you're probably the one who does hit girls. It is the only fight you could ever win."

"Whoa, looks like you learned a bit of that Mercer charm," Adam said. He looked over at Jack and smirked disgustingly. "From the looks of the circles around Jack's eyes you've keeping him up all night. Your daddy must've taught you some nice tricks."

Isabelle felt like her stomach had just been kicked in. She let go of Jack's wrist and placed her hands over her stomach. Instantly, Jack stood up, jumping over the desk in front of Isabelle and slamming Adam against the wall.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Jack asked, angrily.

"Her daddy must taught her go-"

Before he could finish the sentence Jack slammed his fist into Adam's jaw viciously. His heart was pounding, the blooding rushing straight to his head and he couldn't think clearly.

"Don't you ever fuckin' say anything to her again or so help me I will kill you without so much as a second thought," Jack said, breathing heavily. He slammed Adam against the wall.

"Jack, stop," Isabelle said. She was on her feet, standing behind him, tugging on his shirt. "Baby, he doesn't know what the hell he's talking about."

Jack looked back at Isabelle and reluctantly let Adam go. He turned around to face her completely, placing a hand on her face and gave her an apologetic look. As soon as he placed his hands back at his side Adam flung himself at Jack. Isabelle got knocked out of the way and into an empty desk as Jack and Adam tumbled to the floor. Adam had the advantage of being on top of Jack and got in the first punch, but Jack had the advantage of being much stronger and soon had Adam pinned to the floor.

"You are fuckin' with the wrong person, Mercer," Adam said. "My father is a cop."

"And that's where you got your information, isn't it?" Jack asked, furious. "But see, here's the thing, daddy ain't here to protect you right now. So what the fuck are you gonna do?"

"Jack he's not worth it," Isabelle said, walking over to him.

Jack ignored her and picked Adam up by his shoulders and slammed him into the floor again. The classroom had turned into a giant huddle around the three of them but as Isabelle got closer Haven, a girl she worked with at Helga's Diner, pulled her back to keep her safe. The two boys continued to fight on the floor and Isabelle watched in horror. Two teachers finally walked into the room, campus security coming in behind them.

"Mr. Mercer, Mr. Burton, get off one another," one of the teachers yelled.

It took all three of the men and few of the students to pull Jack off of Adam.

"I want all three of you in the principal's office, right now!" the other teacher yelled.

Isabelle went along obligingly while Jack and Adam had to be dragged down. Once they had reached the office Jack and Adam were thrown into seats just outside the principal's section. Isabelle took notice of Adam's state, the blood pouring from his nose and busted lip. She then looked over at Jack, he was starting to bruise around his jaw and cheekbone.

"Ms. Leary, I want to see you first," Mr. Miller, the principal, said standing in the doorway.

Isabelle walked over to the door, feeling Jack's eyes on her as she walked past him. She entered the room slowly, never having been in trouble before the whole concept of the principal's office seemed scarier to her than it should have.

"Ms. Leary, please take a seat," he said, pointing at the chair in front of the desk. "Please, explain to me what happened."

"Jack and I came into homeroom and Adam walked over to my desk and insinuated that the bruise on my face came from Jack and I replied to it less than tactfully. To which he responded with a comment on my…Situation," Isabelle said, rather unsure of how to phrase.

"Yes, we were informed on it," Mr. Miller said.

"After the comment, Jack attacked him but I convinced him to let him go after one punch and then Adam went after Jack from behind and they kind of fought on the floor."

Isabelle looked down at her shoes. She figured just telling the truth was the best possible way to resolve everything.

"Ms. Leary, Adam's father is a cop, he might have leaked some of his privileged knowledge to his son about your specific case," he said.

"And I thought they were the one people in the world you could trust," Isabelle said.

"You're dismissed now," he said, standing up and walking her towards the door. He placed his hand on the doorknob and turned toward her. "Ms. Leary, I am sorry about what happened to you. I also want you to know, that Mr. Mercer will not be judged on his past incidents but only on this one incident and I will give him a fair punishment, much less severe than Mr. Miller, because he was just protecting you."

"Thank you."

Mr. Miller opened the door and Isabelle walked on into the other room. He called Adam into his office and he stood up, looking at Isabelle evilly, and followed along his way. As soon as the door shut Isabelle walked over to Jack and sat down next to him. He was ashamed and she saw the same look in his eyes that he had the night he came home after the fight he had with her father.

"Are you okay?" Isabelle asked, pressing her hand to his bruise.

"Yeah," he mumbled softly. He looked up at her and opened his mouth ready to apologize but Isabelle shushed him.

"I don't need to hear it," she said sympathetically. She brushed the hair away from his forehead and kissed it softly. "You were just trying to keep me safe. Besides, I think you warned me before we went into the classroom."

"Why are you so understanding?" Jack asked, as he placed his hand over hers, slowly pulling it away from his face.

"Because I know you wouldn't put yourself through the hell you feel after you do something wrong if you didn't honestly feel bad about it," she answered. She pulled her hand away from his and stood up. "I have to get back to class. Keep me informed on what happens, okay?"

Jack nodded softly and Isabelle started to walk away. She stopped at the doorway and turned back to Jack, a soft look on her face.

"Baby," she said, getting Jack to look at her. "I love you."

It was the first time she had been the one to initiate the words and Jack knew it had much more meaning behind than the already powerful words held themselves.

"I love you, too."

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**Wow, I got a lot of amazingly nice (as well as amazingly wacky) reviews for this chapter and you all have no idea how happy that makes me! You tolerate my story, you really tolerate it! _(Side note: sorry, I am very hyper, lots of caffeine so that I could study for my Health Final without dozing off!)_ Although, I am pretty sure most of you will be mad thatI didn't reveal Jack's little secret in this chapter, but oh well, all in time my dearies! Then you might hate me more...mwahaha!**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt  
EbonyRose02  
icy-dropletz (Thank you so much for the review of this chapter and the review of chapter 14...I love Jodi Picoult's book "The Pact" so that comment like made my day!)  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr/Angry Addy (lol, you're computer is seriously sucking right now! And as for the review of chapter 16...You can sidetracked all you want as long as you continue to talk about one of the sexiest men alive.)  
i run with scissors  
Jessica  
Shining Star of Valinor (lol, Robin Williams and being raped in jail in the same sentence...WOW...Images far too scary for my mind to possibly comprehend...j/k)**

**Please Review!**


	19. Unfaithful Night

**Just a reminded that there is a one month difference between chapters 4/5 and 6...Just so that you know in case you thought I screwed up the timeline in this chapter, because alas I have not. Anyway, read on.  
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**  
"Hey, Miss Evelyn," Isabelle said, walking into the house.

"Hello," she replied, instantly noticing the absence of Jack. "Where is he?"

"Detention, he got into a fight with a kid who said something rather insensitive," she informed her. She walked into the kitchen and took a seat at the table. She placed the bag she was holding onto and leaned back into the chair.

"You don't seem mad."

"He was protecting me. Even though I could have handled it myself."

"What do you have in there?" Evelyn asked, pointing at the bag.

"A teddy bear for Jack."

"You bought Jack a teddy bear?" Evelyn asked, amused.

"Yeah," she replied. She reached into the bag and pulled out a fuzzy tan teddy bear. "Jack told me that he never had one as I child. You're never too old to have a teddy." Isabelle put it back in the bag and stood up. "I'm going to go put it in his room before he comes home as a surprise."

Isabelle ran up the stairs quickly and walked into Jack's room. She walked over to the bed, pulling the bear out of the bag and placing it between the two pillows at the head of it. As she turned away from the bed she noticed the camera on the dresser and smiled, grabbing it. She ran back down the stairs and into the living, taking the tape out it and putting it into the VCR.

"Miss Evelyn, you have to see this," Isabelle said lightly, as she rewound the tape.

Evelyn walked into the room, drying her hands with a dishtowel. She sat down on the couch and up at Isabelle as it stopped rewinding and she walked over to her. Sitting down beside Evelyn she looked at the screen, Jack shoving his hand into the camera lens.

"What is this?" Evelyn asked.

"I am officially the first person to interview the soon to be famous Jack Mercer," she replied, laughing. "He says really nice things about you that you should know."

Evelyn smiled and watched the tape as Jack and Isabelle went on with their interview. She watched the way her son boasted about her and they way his eyes lit up when he talked about Isabelle. It seemed to her that Jack had finally found someone who he loved more than Evelyn herself. She looked over at Isabelle who was blush softly and looked down at the ground.

"He loves you so much," she said to the teen.

"I guess," Isabelle replied embarrassed.

"_Her biggest flaw is that she loves every messed up inch of me. I mean, why else would anyone put up with my shit?" _Jack said on the screen.

Isabelle stood up ready to go shut it off but a moment after the screen went black she saw herself asleep on the bed as Jack whispered something softly about her. The camera moved around dizzyingly and then Jack's face took up the screen. He was holding the camera at arms length and speaking at it.

"_There are things I need to tell you, things that I'm afraid to say because I'm scared that it could make me lose you. But I have to tell you. Isabelle, I did something really stupid and I don't know how I'll ever be able to make it up to you…"_

Looking at the screen intently, Isabelle didn't notice Evelyn walk over to her or stand behind her, watching over her shoulder. The two of them looked at the obviously upset Jack but Isabelle had trouble believing it. More than slightly petrified at what he was going to say.

"_About a week after we first started dating, when we got in that fight, I did something I'm not proud of…"_

Jack walked through the front door, hearing something familiar coming from the living room. He opened his mouth to say hello but saw what was on the television and they way his mother and Isabelle looked. Evelyn took notice of him and turned towards her son, a questioning looking on her face. Before he could say anything to get Isabelle to stop watching the tape the inevitable words came out of the speakers of the television set and into the room.

"…_I cheated on you."_

Isabelle looked like she had just been punched in the stomach just as she had earlier due to Adam's comment. She wrapped her arms around herself. Evelyn placed her hand on the girl's shoulders but she quickly shrugged it off, walking away from her as the rest of the tape sounded off in the background.

"_Isabelle_…" both the television and Jack said, standing in the doorway of the living room.

Looking up from the floor she glanced over at him. She looked like she was about to cry and his jutting her jaw out to prevent herself from doing so. She didn't want to waste anymore tears than she had to. Jack wasn't supposed to make her cry, she kept thinking to herself. Jack took a step towards Isabelle and was quickly backed way.

"Belle-"

"Don't," Isabelle said, her eyes going wild. "How the hell could you do that to me?"

"I wasn't thinking," he replied. "I-"

"What's your definition of cheat?" she asked.

"Can we please talk about this in private?" Jack begged.

"No, you don't deserve it. Just tell me what you mean by cheat."

"I was _with_ another girl."

"A week after we started dating?" she question, incredulously. A sickeningly dirty feeling crept over her as she came to the conclusion that he knew she would. "I wasn't your first," she whispered.

"Isabelle-"

Before he could finish her name she was running past him and up the stairs. She ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She rested her back against it, slowly sliding down to the floor. Only then did she let her true feelings show and let her tears flow. She wrapped her arms around her knees, rocking back and forth softly.

Isabelle heard his footsteps near the door and wasn't surprised when she heard the gentle rapping upon the door. She stood up, throwing the door open and accosting Jacking in the hallway, angrily.

"How many other lies have you told me?" She questioned.

"I never technically lied," Jack answered, instantly knowing it was the wrong to say.

"You told me I was the first person you were ever with that you wanted to be with," Isabelle said. "Tell me how that isn't a lie."

"Because I didn't want to be with her," he replied. He looked her in the eyes, silently pleading with her. "It meant nothing."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better? You cheated on me with someone who meant nothing to you?"

"I thought we were over, I just went to a party and things got out of control, Belle, you have to believe me," Jack pleaded.

"I don't have to do anything."

Isabelle walked past Jack and walked into Bobby's room, the only other room in the house with a lock and slammed it in Jack's face. Defeatedly, Jack retreated to his room. As he walked in he instantly saw the teddy bear in between the two pillows and felt nauseous. He had really fucked up this time and he didn't know what to do.

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Isabelle was sprawled out across Bobby's messy bed, looking around the room. She was trying to focus on anything to keep her mind off the topic at hand. She knew from the beginning that everything was too perfect to be true. No one in her life that loved her, or claimed to, ever kept their word or prevented themselves from hurting her. She grabbed a pillow from behind her head and cradled it to her chest, suddenly thinking back to their first fight.

_Jack and Isabelle were sitting up in his room, resting on his bed so that Isabelle was resting against his chest with Jack's arms wrapped around her stomach. They were studying or at least attempting to. Every time she would start on the matter at hand she would feel his foot rub against hers or his hand 'accidentally' brush against her knee. He got distracted too easily and Isabelle, truth be told, did as well, loving the attention he paid to her._

"…_By running away from who he thought was his parents Oedipus was essentially running towards his bleak destiny. He eventually killed his real father and married his mother, unbeknownst to him that he was raised by adoptive parents," Isabelle continued, trying to ignore Jack's hand sliding along her leg. "Jack."_

"_What?" he asked, feigning innocence._

"_You know what," she replied, warningly, craning her neck around to look up at his eyes._

"_I just like the way you feel," he said, his voice low and husky. "You're so soft."_

"_Jack, stop I'm serious. After we study we can have fun, but until then hands off," she said, swatting his hand away as it moved closer to her stomach._

_Jack growled playfully, causing Isabelle to laugh despite her serious demeanor. She looked at him with pleading eyes for him to study and he looked up at her with the eyes of child who just wanted to play. He gently slid his hand along her leg and she went to open her mouth to give him a verbal slashing when he leant down and kissed her hard._

_Deftly, Jack turned her over in his hands so that they were chest to chest, knocking the literature book to the floor in the process. Isabelle mumbled something softly into his lips, that escaped her mind even now, and gave into him. She felt his lips leave hers and slowly placed kisses down her neck to her collarbone pleasantly. His kisses felt better than anything Isabelle had felt in the sixteen years of her life. She smiled, unable to hide just how much she enjoyed it, and laughed, his breath tickling her skin._

"_Better than studying?" Jack asked, slowly returning to her lips._

"_So…Much…Better," Isabelle replied, between voracious kisses._

_Smiling at his ability to get Isabelle's stubborn mind off of studying, he pulled away. He carefully rolled over so that she was beneath him and planted long, loving kisses down her entire body over her clothing. She closed her eyes, letting head rest gently on the pillow. As Jack reached her stomach, she tensed a bit, but he continued downward. His legs were hanging off the footboard of the bed so that his lips and hands rested at the waist band of her jeans. He undid that button without Isabelle noticing and slid the zipper down._

"_Jack…"_

_Continuing on his 'quest' Jack gently slid his hand over the soft, white cotton of her underwear. He let his fingers trace the band at the top before slowly slipping his hand down them. Isabelle furrowed her eyebrows together uncomfortably, her breath quickening to an uneasy rate. Jack had thought that it was due to the way it felt to have his hand resting against her skin, thinking that it was a sign of pleasure he continued._

"_Jack, stop," Isabelle whimpered._

_Jack didn't hear her whimpers. He let his hand slid against the smooth skin and then further down. Isabelle kicked at Jack angrily, causing him to fall to the floor. She stood up quickly and ran over to the corner of the room, hovering there for a moment. Her eyes were wild with fear and her breath was quick and painful sounding._

"_What's wrong?" Jack asked._

"_I told you to stop," Isabelle said, angrily._

"_I…I didn't hear you, Belle," he replied, softly. He walked over to her, holding out his arms. "I'm sorry."_

"_Bullshit, you heard me." She reached down and quickly redid her jeans. She wrapped her arms around herself, to ward off the sickness taking over her. "How can you not hear someone begging you to stop?"_

_Isabelle was on the brink of tears, her back pressed into the corner. _

"_Belle-"_

"_Don't 'Belle' me!" she yelled, out of anger and shame. "What kind of person doesn't hear that?"_

_Jack was wordless as he saw hate take over Isabelle's face. She glared at him as if he was the last person in the world she wanted to see. He watched her as she took a step out of the corner and picked the book up from the floor._

"_I knew this was wrong from the beginning," Isabelle muttered, under her breath but loud enough for Jack to hear. "I know better than to betray my head. Logic is best. It's never mislead me before." She looked up at him, shaking her head. "You were the worst mistake I ever made. I can't be with someone like you."_

_A pain shot through Jack's gut to the rest of his body. He looked at her, seeing just how disgusted she was with him. He was disgust with himself as well, how could he have not heard her telling him to stop? He would have in a heartbeat if he truly had heard it. Wiping furiously at her face, Isabelle turned towards the door and pulled it open._

"_There are a million other girls who want me," Jack said, instantly regretting it._

"_Well, then go be with one of them, you bastard."_

Isabelle's body shook violent as she sobbed, remembering that night. She should have known that he truly hadn't heard her. A part of her knew it, too, but she hated going along with her heart over her head. She hated this insecurity. Whenever she used to feel like this she used to go to Jack and let him hold her, tell her everything was going to be okay. This was what it was like to have no protection, to be confronted by something you had no control over. If only she hadn't fought with him over something so miniscule than he wouldn't have cheated on her. She just needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.

Rolling over so that she laid on her side, she curled her knees up to her chest so that she was resting in the fetal position. She started to rock back and forth, a comfort she had come across as a child, and cried herself to sleep.

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Jack was sitting on his bed, his back resting on the headboard. The teddy bear Isabelle had gotten him was resting just beside him, face down in the comforter. He looked down at his ever moving fingers, twisting the ring around his fingers. He was silent, waiting for something, anything and nothing at the same time. What did he expect? He hadn't told Isabelle what happened she had to find out through a video tape, what kind of man did that? Adding even more pain to the incident was that if happened more than a month ago, way before Isabelle had told him the truth about her past, before she had given herself to him. Even he hated himself for hurting her like that.

Angrily, Jack picked up the book on his shelf, the only one he owned, and threw it at the wall. It crashed against it and fell to the floor with a loud thud. He closed his eyes, wishing the pain in his chest to go away, but it wouldn't. He thought back to that night, the mistake he had made and silently remembered it all.

_Isabelle had just left and Jack was furious. He was mad at himself for saying things he didn't mean and mad that Isabelle had just stormed out of there without letting him explain first. Although, had he had the chance to explain himself, he probably would have messed it up again._

_Throwing his bedroom door open, Jack jogged down the stairs. Nobody was home except for him so there was no need to sneak out. He grabbed his leather coat that hung on the rack by the door and left the house, locking the door behind him. He knew of a party in town only a few blocks away his house. He wasn't exactly friends with the host, merely acquaintances with him, but he had been invited. _

_Walking briskly through the cold night air as a downpour of rain fell upon him, thoughts began to run through Jack's mind about what a bad idea it was. He ignored his better judgment and as he reached the house, with music blasting and lights on, he sighed. He ran up to the door and let himself in, walking through crowds of already intoxicated people and over to table where all the alcohol was._

"_Hey, Jack!" Scott yelled, stumbling over to him. "You actually made it. Surprised little Leary you out of the house without a leash."_

"_We broke up," Jack replied, simply, downing the contents of the plastic cup and instantly reaching for another._

"_Well, then I have just the thing for you," he said, smirking. "The perfect cure for the break-up blues."_

_Jack watched as Scott waved his hand in the air, signaling someone over to them. Jack looked over at the girl walking towards them. She must have been the 'cure' he was talking about. She stood in front of Jack, smiling and pushed her hair behind her head. She was pretty enough, some might say gorgeous, but she wasn't Isabelle and that was all that Jack could see._

"_Jack, this is Scarlet, Scarlet that's Jack," Scott said. He slapped Jack on the back and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Play nice."_

_Keep the noise low.  
She doesn't wanna blow it.  
Shaking head to toe  
while your left hand does "the show me around."  
Quickens your heartbeat.  
It beats me straight into the ground. _

_You don't recover from a night like this.  
A victim, still lying in bed, completely motionless.  
A hand moves in the dark to a zipper.  
Hear a boy bracing tight against sheets  
barely whisper, "This is so messed up."_

_Jack and the Scarlet girl headed up the stairs. Jack didn't seem to care about anything after downing about three more cups of whatever the crap was that were serving in mere minutes. She led the way, more than willing, and opened the door to the first unlocked room they could find. Instantly she ripped her shirt off and threw it onto the floor, crashing her lips into Jack's._

_Upon arrival the guests had all stared.  
Dripping wet and clearly depressed,  
he'd headed straight for the stairs.  
No longer cool, but a boy in a stitch,  
unprepared for a life full of lies and failing relationships. _

_(Up the stairs: the station where  
the act becomes the art of growing up.)_

_He keeps his hands low.  
He doesn't wanna blow it.  
He's wet from head to toe and  
his eyes give her the up and the down.  
His stomach turns and he thinks of throwing up.  
But the body on the bed beckons forward  
and he starts growing up._

_She smiled seductively and pulled completely away from Jack. She walked over to the bed, lying down on it giving him a come hither look. He stood there at the door, thinking of ways to escape the situation but he couldn't. The alcohol affecting him quickly. He watched as she stood up and made her way back to him. She grabbed his hand and looked up at him._

"_Don't worry, I'll take good care of you," Scarlet said, brushing the wet hair away from his forehead._

_The fever, the focus.  
The reasons that I had to believe you weren't too hard to sell.  
Die young and save yourself.  
The tickle, the taste of...  
It used to be the reason I breathed but now it's choking me up.  
Die young and save yourself. _

_She hits the lights.  
This doesn't seem quite fair.  
Despite everything he learned from his friends,  
he doesn't feel so prepared.  
She's breathing quiet and smooth.  
He's gasping for air.  
This is the first and last time, he says.  
She fakes a smile and presses her hips into his.  
He keeps his hands pinned down at his sides.  
He's holding back from telling her  
exactly what it really feels like._

_He is the lamb, she is the slaughter.  
She's moving way too fast and all he wanted was to hold her.  
Nothing that he tells her is really having an effect.  
He whispers that he loves her,  
but she's probably only looking for se-..._

_(Up the stairs: the station where  
the act becomes the art of growing up.)_

_So much more than he could ever give.  
A life free of lies and a meaningful relationship.  
He keeps his hands pinned down at his sides.  
He waits for it to end  
and for the aching in his guts to subside._

_Jack was lying on the bed beneath her. Scarlet had taken control of the situation because he hadn't had the courage to do so himself. She was moving her hands all over his chest, tearing his shirt off of him quickly, marveling at the site. She grinned, her white teeth visible even in the dark. She kissed him, letting her tongue wrestle with his, but the taste of her just made him sick. He pulled away and decided to take some action and started to kiss her neck. It made him even more sick. Her lips tasted of stale beer and her skin of cheap perfume, he took the least offensive of the two and returned his mouth to hers. _

_Her hands slid down to his belt buckle and she quickly unfastened it, her eagerness and willingness unsexy toJack in so many ways. He didn't want to be there at that moment, he wanted to get out of there, run to his house hoping to find Isabelle on his porch steps or sitting in his room. He was being idyllic, he knew, so he just stay there, letting Scarlet do what she wanted, feeling nothing for her and knowing in the morning she would remember nothing of him. It all felt to him like when he worked on the streets or when his foster father would come into his room, he hated it but at the same time was indifferent to it, he didn't do anything to stop it after awhile._

_The fever, the focus.  
The reasons that I had to believe you weren't too hard to sell.  
Die young and save yourself.  
The tickle, the taste of...  
It used to be the reason I breathed but now it's choking me up.  
Die young and save yourself. _

_Up the stairs: the station where  
the act becomes the art of growing up._

_The fever, the focus.  
The reasons that I had to believe you weren't too hard to sell.  
Die young and save yourself.  
The tickle, the taste of...  
It used to be the reason I breathed but now it's choking me up.  
Die young and save yourself._

_After she was done, Jack stood up quickly throwing his clothes back on. He didn't wait to hear say anything, didn't care if she had any comments, he just wanted to get the hell out of there. He opened the door and ran down the stairs of the house and out the front door. He rested his back against the wall of the house and fell to his knees, the reality of the situation finally hitting him._

_Jack placed his head in his hands. His entire Hisface was covered with his two large hands as he remained there, letting the rain cover him._

Jack was breathing heavily as he exited the memory of that night. He looked down at the teddy bear beside him and picked it up. He turned it so that he could look at it's face and felt the tears begin to well up in his eyes. Isabelle had gotten him a teddy bear, something that to any another guy would have been a lame thing that a girlfriend gave them. To Jack, however, it meant so much more. Isabelle loved him, it signified that. She had listened to him tell her about his past, wanted to give him some normal relic of a childhood even if it was teen years too late.

Lying down on the bed, Jack cradled the toy to his chest, the scent of Isabelle radiate from it. He curled himself into the fetal position, hearing the soft sobs coming from Isabelle in the room beside his. How desperately he wanted to comfort her but knew that he no longer could. He let a few of his own tears out, letting them travel down his face to his chest not bothering to wipe them away.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Jack asked himself out loud, letting the silence in his room and the pain from the other fill his ears.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
Song is "Sic Transit Gloria (Glory Fades)" by Brand New**

**Thank You:  
Bigamericanflirt  
EbonyRose02  
icy-dropletz  
ImActd2A3rdClssRkStr  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors  
Mizz-Whizz49  
Renni**

**How many people did I make mad with this chapter?**

**Please Review**


	20. Every Story Has Two Sides

Isabelle walked into the kitchen with her head pointed down at the floor, unable to look up. She was afraid to make eye contact with Jack. She knew that he would be sorry and that his eyes would wordlessly express everything that he felt and she didn't want to forgive him so easily. He had truly hurt her, it was more than just feelings but actions. He had been with someone else and then willingly been with Isabelle, leaving out the part about who had been with before. She knew about the streets and his foster father, but this girl at the party had been pure deception.

Taking her seat she could feel Jack's eyes on her but she ignored the stare. She couldn't look up at him, she promised herself not to give in, but how desperately she wanted to. Betraying everything she had sold herself on only moments before she looked up at Jack, their eyes instantly connecting and she started to remember the Monday after their first real fight.

_"Call him," Haven said, turning the corner._

_"I can't," she replied. "I made a fool of myself, plus he should call me first. He's the one who screwed up."_

_"You want my opinion?"_

_"No, you're too logical and level headed to have an opinion that I would like," Isabelle said, shaking her head._

_"Too bad, I'm giving it to you anyway." Haven pulled into the school parking lot and looked over at her friend. "You're both to blame. He probably didn't hear you, from what you told me about he doesn't seem the forceful type and you should have told him before hand." She pulled the keys out of the ignition and handed them to Isabelle. "Go wait for him to come to school and then talk to him. Get into my car, let him drive, and go somewhere to talk."_

_"What if he won't come with me?"_

_"I highly doubt that."_

_Isabelle nodded softly and got out of the car the same time Haven did. She leaned against the car and glanced at her friend sadly. Haven walked over to the other side of the car and stood beside Isabelle, gently wrapping her arm around her shoulders._

_"What are you afraid of?"_

_"He's different than me," she answered. "I feel like he's so much more, for a lack of a better word, experienced than me."_

_"He's not, Isabelle, trust me." She turned towards the school and shrugged. "Sorry, but I have to go see Mr. Miller before homeroom starts to work out this detention thing."_

_"You have detention?"_

_"I refused to dissect a frog after my anatomy teacher made us name it."_

_Haven walked away from the car and jogged into the school building. With a sigh, Isabelle walked over to the building as well, taking a seat on the bottom step._

_Isabelle had been waiting there on the steps for at least half an hour and she laughed bitterly to herself. She was too proud to call him but not too proud to wait outside in the bitter cold for him. She wrapped her arms around herself tightly, keeping her gloved fingers tight against her chest. She could see the fluffy, messy hair of Jack Mercer coming around the corner and slowly walking towards the building. She smiled and stood up and ran around the corner._

_Before either one of them could say anything she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him softly and pulled away, a soft smiled on her face before returning her lips to his. When she finally pulled away for real but kept her arms looped around his neck._

_"What was that about?" Jack asked, his voice low and husky with a smile present on his face as well._

_"Because I am really, really sorry for Friday," she replied. She felt his arms wrap around her waist, pulling her closer to him._

_"I really didn't hear-"_

_"I know," she said. "I just overreacted. I've never felt this before and it's serious and fast and I was scared."_

_"I am too," he admitted. He kissed the tip of her nose playfully and released her waist from his grip. He pulled his scarf from around his neck and wrapped it around hers. "And I'm not just saying it. I really am. I also can admit that I was being an ass and I deserved getting kicked."_

_Smiling, Isabelle played with the fringes of the bottom of the scarf and inhaled the scent of Jack that flowed from it. She grabbed his hand pulled her with him past the school. He stopped by the stairs and she turned to face him._

_"What?"_

_"We have school."_

_"I feel a cold coming on," she joked, faking a cough and raising her eyebrows suggestively. "Don't you too?"_

_"Now that you mention it, I do have a bit of a tickle in my throat," he replied._

_"Good, we can go do something a bit more interesting."_

_"One problem with that, it's two degrees outside and walking around aimlessly wouldn't be the best thing."_

_"We won't be walking around aimlessly," she replied, pulling a set of keys out of her pocket. "Something we must thank Haven for. She let me borrow her car, on the condition that I let you drive because apparently I drive like a maniac."_

_Jack laughed and took a step closer to her. He gently placed his hands on either side of her face and leaned down to kiss her. As he pulled away something caught his eye, Isabelle tried to turn around to look behind her but she felt Jack pull her back to him. He kissed passionately, his hands moving from her face to her hair and one around her waist._

_"I'm not so cold anymore," Isabelle said, laughing as she pulled away from Jack._

_"Well, maybe, if I behave myself you'll let me go and warm you up a little more later on. With your permission and limitations, of course._

_"Screw later, I want to be warmer right now," she replied._

_Isabelle pulled out of his grasp and grabbed his hand, pulling him along with her to the car. She got into the passenger's side seat and Jack pulled out of the parking lot._

Isabelle, who realized she had been staring too long at Jack looked back down at the table. Evelyn walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder gently squeezing it. Isabelle looked up at Evelyn and smiled falsely. Placing a plate before Isabelle she started to walk away. Isabelle stood up suddenly, her stomach lurching at the site of the food.

"I'm not very hungry, Ms. Mercer," Isabelle said.

Evelyn cringed when Isabelle called her Ms. Mercer. It was as she was signifying all the damaged that had been reversed while she had been here, known the Mercers, was coming back. Isabelle started to walk out of the kitchen and Jack stood up, running after her.

"Belle," he called out as she reached the door. "Can we please talk?"

_Jack walked to school slowly, replaying that Friday nigh over and over again in his head. He had messed up, he knew it. He truly hadn't heard Isabelle telling him to stop but he could hear his conscience telling him to stop later that night when he was with Scarlet. He had wanted his first real time to be with Isabelle he knew that almost instantly, but he had just laid, half-conscious, just doing whatever Scarlet wanted, having no emotion towards her. It was almost as if were back on the streets, except that Scarlet was a girl and he wasn't getting paid. That night when he got home, drunk and depressed, he had felt nothing but shame. He was afraid that his past going to be his future and that there was only one thing he was good at._

_As Jack turned the corner to the school someone came flying at him. The person's arms wrapped tightly around him and pressed their lips to his. As soon as they made contact, Jack realized it was Isabelle. She pulled away from him for a moment, proving to him that it indeed was her, and quickly resumed kissing him. She pulled away for the last time and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling._

_"What was the about?" he asked, smiling. He instantly forgot what he was thinking about and smiled at Isabelle, her grin contagious._

_"I am really, really sorry for Friday," she replied. _

_Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. He wanted to hold her as close as possible, wanted to make up for the time they had lost over the weekend. He wonder if could have lived without this forever._

_"I really didn't hear-" Jack started._

_"I know," she said. "I just overreacted. I've never felt this before and it's serious and fast and I was scared."_

_"I am too," he admitted. _

_Jack leant down to kiss the tip of her nose gently. He noticed the way her nose crinkled and she grinned as he did so. It was cute. Jack released his grip on her waist and pulled his scarf off. He wrapped it around her neck lovingly, noticing how cold her skin was when he had kissed her._

_"And I'm not just saying it. I really am. I also can admit that I was being an ass and I deserved getting kicked," he added._

_Isabelle smiled at him, making him feel things he had never felt for anyone before. She started to play with the loose threads on the bottom of the scarf and smelt it. Grabbing Jack's hand, Isabelle pulled him past the school but he stopped walking as they approached the stairs. Isabelle turned to face him, wondering what was stopping him._

_"What?"_

_"We have school," Jack said, simply_

_"I feel a cold coming on," Isabelle said. She let out a horrible bad fake cough. "Don't you too?"_

_"Now that you mention it, I do have a bit of a tickle in my throat," he replied._

_"Good, we can go do something a bit more interesting."_

_"One problem with that, it's two degrees outside and walking around aimlessly wouldn't be the best thing."_

_"We won't be walking around aimlessly." Jack watched as she produced a set of keys from her pocket and waved them in front of his face. "Something we must thank Haven for. She let me borrow her car, on the condition that I let you drive because apparently I drive like a maniac."_

_Laughing softly, Jack took a step closer to her. He placed his hands on the sides of her face carefully and kissed her. Jack started to pulled and noticed Scarlet standing on the steps a few feet behind them, watching him. He stared at her for a moment and she glared at him. Isabelle tried to turn around to see what he was staring at but Jack quickly pulled her back to him, kissing her passionately. He dropped one hand to her waist while the other ran through her hair. Proving to both Isabelle and Scarlet that Isabelle was the one he wanted._

_"I'm not so cold anymore," Isabelle said, laughing as she pulled away from Jack._

_Jack gave a quick look behind Isabelle, Scarlet was gone. It made him happy that he had gotten his message across, but he felt like crap using Isabelle like that and hiding his secret from her. He glanced back down at her, noticing warmth now coming from her._

_"Well, maybe, if I behave myself you'll let me go and warm you up a little more later on. With your permission and limitations, of course."_

_"Screw later, I want to be warmer right now," she replied._

_Jack felt Isabelle pulled out of his grasp and grab his hand. She pulled him along with her to the car. She jumped into the passenger's side as Jack got behind the wheel. Slowly, Jack pulled out of the school parking lot, glancing over at Isabelle from time to time._

Isabelle turned from the door to look up at Jack, her eyes showing all the sadness she was feeling. She was on the brink of tears and Jack wanted nothing more than to hold her tightly and wipe all of her tears away, until he realized he was the one who had caused them.

"I don't see the point," Isabelle said, shaking her head sadly. A car horn beeped outside and Isabelle looked towards the door and pulled it open. "It's Haven, I have to go."

Jack watched Isabelle leave the house and he could feel his heart break. Isabelle had decided that he didn't deserve another chance. She was stubborn, he knew that, but he wasn't prepared to give up that easily.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
****Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (You never know...Ever hear of angry sex? lol, jk...maybe.)  
EbonyRose02  
icy-dropletz  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (You're review was interesting, as always, lol, but at least you have more to read now...But I guess this kind of the end so technically you don't have more to read right now...lol)  
i run with scissors (Sorry, this chapter isn't exactly happier!)  
Mizz-Whizz49  
Shining Star of Valinor (I absolutely adore the way you summed up the last chapter...It made me laugh so much! I am also very glad you like the chapter but not in the warm fuzzy kind of way...lol.)**

**Just a side note, I love you all for the great reviews every week! It's so nice to see that people actually read your story and like it enough to comment on it. Those reviews are what keep me writing!**

**p.s. My friend anangelslament just posted another Rent fanfiction it's called "Your Eyes" and it's really cute! I am asking anyone who hasseen _Rent_ (and those who haven't) please go read it and review, it's really short so it won't take more than a minute or two to boost a really good writer's morale and to keep her writing not just because I yell at her about it every school day! Thank you!**

**p.p.s. Has anyone seen the new pics on the Eragon site of Garrett Hedlund as Murtagh! Pardon me for a moment, but WHOA IS HE FINE!(sorry for the length of this author's note thing-a-ma-bob.**

**Please Review!**


	21. Questions and Confessions

**It became clear to me that I might have confused some people. Anything that is in **_italics_**is/was a flashback, I should have posted that when I posted the first flashback chapter and I am sorry for any confusion. So, that means that they night that Jack tried "to go too far" was a flashback scene pre-cheating and everything else.  
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It had been nearly two weeks since Isabelle found out the truth and she still had yet to talk to Jack. In truth she had been avoiding him at all cost. She had moved her seat in homeroom and English so that she didn't have to sit next to Jack. At home she would leave for school before Jack even woke up, come home and leave for work before he even got home and then she wouldn't return home until after nearly everyone in the house was asleep. On the weekends she usually stayed at Haven's using the excuse that they had the same work schedule when Evelyn asked why. On the rare occasions when they did run into one another Isabelle would quickly excuse herself from the uncomfortable situation while Jack stammered his way through a sentence. He wanted to apologize, do something to get her back but he couldn't quite figure out what he could do or say and just appeared to be the fool.

Jack walked into the living room and plopped down onto the couch, beside Bobby who was watching hockey on the television. Jack couldn't have been less interested and opened his ever present notebook, jotting down lyrics from his head. Bobby looked over at his brother, noticing the look on his face.

"So, Izzy still ain't talkin' to ya?" he asked.

"I'm home on a Friday night with you, Bobby. What do you think?" Jack asked, looking up from his notebook. He nodded towards the television. "Who's winning?"

"You and I both know you don't give a shit about the game," he replied. He looked down at the floor and then over at his brother again with a sigh. "Usually, I wouldn't betray the truth of lil Izzy, but I know where she is if it interests you."

Instantly Jack perked up. He closed his notebook and focused his full attention on his brother. Had he always known where Isabelle was while Jack had worried for days because he had missed her presence at home?

"I can see that mind of your goin' a mile a minute and the thing is that, yeah, I knew where she was, but I ain't supposed to tell ya, but I think tonight's destination is a bit safe to tell ya, it could just be a coincidence."

"Fine, tell me where she is," Jack insisted.

"She's at some party down the street. She mentioned something about a guy named Scott invitin' her," Bobby replied.

"Scott? Shit," Jack stood up.

"You goin' to go there?"

"Scott is Scott Labine, 'member him?"

"Yeah, that little twerp Scotty that you used to hang out with all the time?"

"He ain't no twerp anymore. He knows that Belle and I broke up, what do you think the chances are that he's gonna take advantage of that?"

"Alright, I'm coming with you," Bobby said, standing up.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack walked into the party intent on finding Isabelle and getting her out of there. Bobby walked off in another direction looking for her as well. Jack heard a girl scream loudly and he pushed his way through the crowd towards the sound. Pressed up in the corner of the room was Haven, Isabelle's friend, trying to push some guy off of her.

Instantly, Jack went into help mode. He pulled the guy off of her and threw him onto the floor. He kicked him in the stomach hard and before the guy could get up he grabbed Haven's hand and dragged her into the crowd of people, figuring that would be his best bet.

"Are you okay?" he asked, sincerely worried.

"Yeah, "she said, nodding. "Thank you."

"It's not a problem. Haven, have you seen Isabelle?"

"Yeah, last time I saw her she was with Scott."

"Do you know where they went?"

"No," she replied, shaking her head.

Jack pulled her through the crowd and over to Bobby who was waving him over.

"Last time anyone saw her she was headin' somewhere with Scott," Bobby said, trying to spare Jack's feelings. "I think we should just go ho-"

"Heading where?" Jack asked.

"Upstairs."

"With Scott?" Haven asked. "No, that's not right, Isabelle would never do that, she hates Scott almost as she hates Adam."

Jack looked over at the staircase. Either he could do as Bobby suggested and just leave or he could go and find her. He knew if he walked in on them and everything was fine his heart would irreparable shattered, but he also knew if everything wasn't alright he would feel nothing but guilt the rest of his life because he could have stopped it.

"Take Haven outside and wait for me out there," Jack told Bobby.

"No way, little brother, let me go and find her, it's bet-" he started, grabbing Jack's arm.

"Stop with the condescending little brother crap and let go of me," he replied, pulling his arm out of Bobby's grasp. "I am going to get Belle. Wait outside for me."

Bobby gave up on fighting with Jack and led Haven outside of the house as Jack ran up the stairs. He tried to pry every door he passed open, banging on each one and calling out Isabelle's name. He reached the last door in the hallway and called out her name again, this time getting the reply of a loud, muffled scream.

Jack slammed his shoulder into the door and heard the loud crack of the door splintering. He pulled back and ran full force into it again, breaking the door entirely. Isabelle was on the bed he face red from crying, while Scott made his way over to Jack.

"What the fuck did you do to her?" Jack asked angrily.

"I didn't do anything she didn't want," Scott replied, obviously drunk.

Grabbing the front of his shirt, Jack push Scott up against the wall. He held him high off the floor so that he could look him in the eye. Isabelle got of the bed quickly and made her way over to Jack. She started to wipe the tears from her eyes hovered near the broken down door.

"Don't lie to me," Jack said, slamming Scott's back into the door. "If she wanted it so badly, she wouldn't be crying now would she."

"Jack, just let him go," Isabelle pleaded. "I just want you to take me home."

Jack looked over his shoulder at Isabelle. Her hair was a messy and knotted, her shirt was ripped at the hem by her shoulder. Even more so than before did Jack want to bash Scott's face in, but he resisted the urge when his eyes fell upon Isabelle's. She was pleading with him silently to let him go. Despite his natural instinct, Jack dropped his grip on Scott and watched him fall onto the floor.

"You are so lucky that Isabelle's got a heart of fuckin' gold, because if it were up to me you'd probably be dead," Jack muttered.

Isabelle grabbed Jack's arm and started to walk out of the room when they both heard Scott mutter something under his breath. Instantly, Jack turned around to face him, as did Isabelle.

"What did you just say?"

"I said that it's no wonder you two are together, you're both just so fucked up," Scott replied. "Scarlet tells me you could barely get it up and afterwards you just leave like you never wanted it in the first place. Isabelle here is even worse. She's doing that whole daddy inappropriately loved me act and then comes here, hangs all over me and then when it gets serious cries out for little Jack Mercer to help. Fuckin' bitch."

Isabelle glared at Scott and let go of Jack's arm, giving him permission to do as he wished. He launched himself at Scott and pushed him back down on the floor, landing punch after punch and Isabelle did nothing to stop him.

Ten minutes later Jack and Isabelle emerged from the house arm in arm. Bobby and Haven were sitting on the hood of the car and smirked at the pair. As they got closer Bobby jumped down and slapped Jack on the back.

"I ain't never been more proud of you, fairy," he said.

"Shut up, Bobby," Jack and Isabelle said collectively.

Bobby jumped in the driver's seat as Isabelle and Jack got into the back, leaving the front seat for Haven. It was only a few minutes for them to get back to the house, but Isabelle had already fallen asleep on Jack's shoulder by the time the old vehicle pulled in front of it.

"Jack, take Izzy upstairs, I'm gonna drive Haven home," Bobby instructed.

Jack nodded and carefully scoped Isabelle up in his arms. She remained sleeping until he was on the steps and Bobby pulled away from the house, honking the horn. She woke restlessly and nearly fell out of his arms, causing her to wrap them around his neck to keep her safe.

"Sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Jack replied. "Kind of nice, actually. It's the first time you let me hold you since the big fight."

Isabelle laughed and slowly slid her feet towards the ground. Jack unlocked the door and held it open, letting Isabelle go in first. She walked into the house and turned back towards him. As soon as Jack closed the door she pushed him up against it, smiling as she leaned up to kiss him softly. Staggered by it Jack didn't have time to react before she pulled away and headed up the stairs.

"Goodnight, Jack," she whispered, waving her hand behind her head as she slowly walked up the stairs.

Jack smiled as he walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Evelyn, who had seen most of it, walked into the kitchen and sat down across from her son, who was still smiling.

"So, I take it things are finally better between the two of you," Evelyn said.

"Yeah, I think so too," he replied.

"What happened?"

"I, um, think that maybe you should ask her," Jack said. "It's her secret to tell."

"Okay."

"I'm going to go to bed." Evelyn smiled and ruffled her son's hair gently. Jack stood up and kissed her on the forehead. "Night, ma."

"Goodnight."

Jack headed up the stairs to his room, passing by Bobby's door. He stopped for a moment, wondering if he should open the door quickly and peek into the room to see if Isabelle had already fallen asleep but resisted. He continued to his room and threw the door open. In the dark and without looking anywhere, he began to strip his clothes off. He walked over to the chair where he swore he had thrown his old shirt he used for a pajama top when it was cold but didn't find it there.

"Giving me a free show?" Isabelle asked, laughing.

Jumping back, Jack looked over at the bed where Isabelle laid. She was wearing the same shirt he was looking for, her legs covered by the thick comforter. He smiled and slowly sauntered over to the bed. He climbed on top of it, hovering over Isabelle.

"What are you doing in my bed?" he asked, playfully.

"Well, since we're not fighting anymore, I figured it would be okay if I came back to share your room with you," she replied.

"And my shirt?" he questioned, leaning down to kiss her neck.

"It smelt like you, so I wanted to wear it."

"I have a better idea," he replied, his hands gently lifting the shirt from her stomach.

Isabelle shook her head softly and pushed his hands away. Jack backed away respectively and looked into her eyes, sensing her seriousness. She softened slightly and brushed hand against his neck.

"I don't completely forgive you, you know," Isabelle said.

"I know."

"But I don't want to be without you anymore."

"Me either."

"Can we just take this slow? I mean, we dove into this whole thing really quickly before and look what happened. I just want to take my time getting to know you again," she admitted, her hand slid up his neck to his hair.

"Yeah," he replied. He leaned down and kissed her softly, before pulling away. He rolled over onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her holding her tightly to him. "We'll take it as slow as you want."

Isabelle smiled and rolled over to face him, keeping his arms around her. She kissed him gently, innocently, and then rested her head against his chest. She could hear his heart beating softly, tapping her finger on his stomach every time his heart gave a thump.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything," Jack replied.

"Was what Scott said true?" she questioned, looking up at him. "I mean, about you and the wh…Scarlet?"

"Yeah," he said, kissing the top of her head. "I was drunk and stupid and mad. After I got up into the room I didn't really want to be with her but I didn't try to stop her either. I was just…"

"Indifferent?"

"Yes and no. I mean, it kind of felt like one of my old tricks," he admitted. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course," she replied, her eyes still focused on him.

Jack wanted to ask Isabelle why she and Haven had ended up at that party. He wanted to know if Scott was telling the truth about Isabelle. Jack couldn't ask her though, not when she was staring up at him so lovingly that even in the pitch dark he could see it.

"It was the stench in Bobby's room that made you come back, isn't it?" Jack asked instead.

"Partially," she replied, smiling. She leaned up to kiss him and then gently whispered in his ear. "I went to the party because I wanted to figure out who she was. Scott told me that he could tell me who she was and I wasn't thinking, so I went upstairs with him and then he wouldn't let me leave."

Jack knew that he shouldn't have been surprised that she was aware of what he really wanted to ask. The both of them knew each other too well to hide anything anymore. Isabelle looked back at the wall, settling in against him, feeling the warmth she could only feel in his arms.

"I'm sorry," Jack said. His arms tightened around her waist, pulling her up against him. "I really am."

"I know."

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**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (Awww...Thank you, what you wrote was so kind, but I am sorry that I made you feel Isabelle's pain...I think, lol.)  
EbonyRose02 (Pregnancy?)  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (Beautiful, Beautiful Babies? You think a lot like someone else on the site...)  
i run with scissors (Yeah, she still lives there, she was just going to school...lol. Whatever you do DON'T GO EMO! Attack of the emo-boy clones at the mall the other day very scary...Emo must be stopped...Yeah, sorry about that,I went a little...Odd.)  
kinn (Yes, he did.)  
Shining Star of Valinor (Beautiful, Beautiful Babies? lol, anyway, was this a little bit happier? Yes, the pic of him as Murtagh is absolutely amazing...I think it's the hair...But with Garrett Hedlund characters, it usually is about the hair...Among other certain features...Ahem..._I mean that in a completely innocent way for anyone who is thinking differently_.)  
**

**A/N: Wow, people are pretty baby oriented in the reviews this chapter...Is the a sign?**

**Please Review!**


	22. Worry About You

Isabelle and Jack were on the couch, playfully fighting over the remote as Evelyn walked into the living room. Jack was tickling Isabelle mercilessly while she had ball most of one of the shirts he was wearing up in a fist. She giggled uncontrollably, trying to pull away from his grasp, but nothing stopped him. Evelyn smiled, laughing to herself at the sight and then snapped her fingers to get the pair's attention. The two didn't notice her.

"Ahem."

Looking up slightly, Jack saw his mother standing over the two of them. He blushed softly and let go of Isabelle, straightening out his shirt. Isabelle laughed, not embarrassed by it, knowing that Evelyn was happy they were back together and rested her head on Jack's shoulder, turning it so that she could lightly kiss his neck.

"What's up ma?"

"Jack, I need you to go to the store for me. Bobby was supposed to but he suddenly disappeared."

"Okay, not a problem," Jack replied, standing up. He grabbed Isabelle's hand and helped her off the couch. "Belle, you coming with?"

"Isabelle can't. I need to talk to her alone anyway, so this might be a good chance to," Evelyn said.

Looking over at Evelyn, Isabelle got a sick feeling in her stomach. Something was wrong, she could instantly tell that. She looked back at Jack, who too knew something was wrong, and smiled for him. She lightly kissed him on, gave his hand a squeeze and took a step away from him.

"Baby, it's fine," Isabelle insisted. "I'm sure it's nothing. Go to the store and I promise if it's something you need to know I'll tell you."

Jack looked down at Isabelle and wanted so badly to get her out of there before his mother said anything. He knew when he got back from the store things would be different, another speed bump in their relationship, but he couldn't go against his mother. He wrapped his arms around Isabelle tightly, kissing the top of her head and then pulled away slightly so that he could peer into her eyes.

"I know we said we were going to take this slow, but I love you," Jack said, looking her straight in the eyes. He placed his hands on either side of her face and kissed her softly. "Remember that. No matter what, I love you and I'm going to be here to protect you."

"I love you, too, Jack, but you're being so overdramatic" she said, pressing one of her hands over his. She pulled it away from her face and grasped it tightly. "Now go to the store for your mother." She leaned up to his ear and whispered in it. "Maybe later we can have a little bit of fun, but only if you're a good boy."

Jack half-smiled, half-laughed and pulled away from her reluctantly. He took the car keys and the list from his mother and looked into her eyes. He was trying to see some sign of what she was about to tell Isabelle but couldn't. She couldn't even give him a reassuring grin.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Jack said to Belle, as he headed out the house.

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"I'm home," Jack called out, as he entered the house.

Walking into the living room he saw that no one was in it, the television wasn't on. The kitchen was the same. He placed the bags on the table and quickly headed up to his and Isabelle's room, not bothering to put anything away. A strange feeling in the pit of his stomach took over and he felt like she needed him.

Throwing the door open, he saw Isabelle on the bed. However, she wasn't crying or even distressed looking. She was calmly sitting there, a book opened in her hands. She looked up at Jack when he entered the room, shutting the door behind. He sat down on the bed and still she did nothing.

"What's wrong?" Isabelle asked, noticing the frazzled look on Jack's face. She ran her hand across his forehead and shook her head, smiling softly. "You know, you are going to get so many wrinkles on that handsome face of ours if you keep on worrying like you do."

"The way ma acted, I thought something was really wrong," he explained.

"It was nothing important, baby," she replied.

Isabelle smiled and gently kissed the base of his neck. She mumbled something into and placed her book on the side of the bed. She laid down, pulling Jack down on top of her. Looping arms around his waist she slid one hand into his back pocket and smiled up at him.

"What did she tell you?" Jack asked.

"Like I said, it was nothing important." Isabelle leaned up and kissed him before he could start to ask another question. As she pulled away she watched his face contort into confusion. "Here's the deal, Jack. Either we can talk endlessly or we can have some fun."

Isabelle forcibly rolled over so that Jack was beneath her. She leaned down and started to kiss his neck again. She slid her hands beneath his shirt, slowly raising it from his stomach. She moved down his body, pressing her lips to the area just above his navel and smiled, biting down playfully.

"The decision is yours," she said. She started to pull away when Jack didn't answer, but placed her hand over the redden area she had just created. "You have a really cute belly button."

Jack hated to admit it but he gave into a temptation. He smiled gently, pulled her up to him and wrapped his arms around her as he placed eager kisses on her skin. She laughed softly and returned them just as ardently.

"Remember though, slow. You're still in the dog house so keep your hands within the boundaries and little Jack in his pouch, unless I take him out," she warned.

"Nice way to put it," he whispered huskily.

"Behave smartass."

Jack laughed holding his hands up in mock defensive. Isabelle looked down at him, her hair hanging down around her face. Jack reached up, pushing it behind her ear so that no curtain concealed her face from him. He placed his hand on the back of her head, slowly leading her face down to his. She bit down on his lip softly and then turned softer, kissing it carefully. She pulled away for a moment and just looked down at him, resting her hand against his cheek.

"Are you sure everything is okay?" Jack asked.

"It is," she assured him. She kissed him sweetly and then looked down at him, running her hand down his skin. "I want to make out with my boyfriend not talk about every little problem my life has. That's what my friends are for."

"But I want to know."

"Later, I promise." Isabelle laughed and started to kiss him again. In between kisses she muttered, "I swear, I have the only boyfriend who wants to talk."

Jack smiled and rolled her over again, so that she was beneath him. She loved the way it felt when he was in control. He slid his leg in between hers and let his hands drift to her stomach. He ran his fingers along the familiar scar and smiled as Isabelle reacted positively to his touch.

"Too much clothing," Isabelle whispered in his ear. "Are you going to do something about it?"

Jack was more than willingly to oblige but heard Evelyn calling him, interrupting the pair. Isabelle pulled away and relaxed her bed against the bed, her head resting against the pillow. With a groan, Jack rolled off of her and stopped up. He grabbed her hand and pulled her off of the bed, dragging her along with him down the stairs.

"Did you call me?" Jack asked.

"Yes," Evelyn replied. She looked up at Jack oddly and shook her head. "You left the frozen stuff on the tabletop. If you didn't want to put it away you could have easily called me to put it away."

"Oh, I forgot, I was worried about Isabelle," he replied.

"Yeah, I can tell," she replied, laughing.

Jack looked over at Isabelle who started to laugh as well. She grabbed a napkin off of the table and pressed it to his lips gently.

"Clear lip gloss and a swollen lip are sure signs that you were 'worried' about me," Isabelle said, smiling and gently rubbing the napkin across his lips.

"She attacked me," Jack said, looking over at Evelyn.

"I did not!"

Isabelle hit him hard in the stomach and he hunched over instinctively. He grabbed her waist and pulled her to him. He sat down at the table, Isabelle perched in his lap, as Evelyn started to put the stuff away.

"Hey, ma, me and Belle with cook tonight if you want," Jack volunteered. Isabelle looked back at him shocked by him but he just smiled.

"Is Isabelle feeling up to it?" Evelyn asked.

"Miss Evelyn, I am fine."

"Okay then," she agreed.

Jack looked over at Isabelle confused but she just smiled and jumped off of his lap, tearing herself out of his grasp. She walked over to Evelyn and whispered something into her ear before leaving the room. Once Jack was sure she was out of hearing range he stood up and leaned against the counter.

"Ma, what's going on wit h, Isabelle?" he asked.

"It's not mine to tell," Evelyn answered. She sighed and pressed her hand to the side of Jack's face gently. "Give her a couple hours at the most and she'll tell you. Just don't push, the more you do the more she shuts out."

Five minutes later Isabelle walked back into the kitchen wearing one of Jack's odd t-shirts and all of her make-up washed off of her face. To Jack, there was something incredibly appealing about the way she looked at that moment.

"What are you looking at?" Isabelle asked in a mocking angry tone. She walked over to Jack and looped her arms around his neck. "What's wrong with you? Didn't Miss Evelyn ever teach you not to stare at people?"

"Yeah, of course, I must have forgotten my manners," he replied, kissing the tip of her nose.

"Well, Mercer, we should get started on dinner now. Because if you want me to help we have to schedule in all the time it takes to fix the mistakes I make when cooking," she said.

"I'm getting out of the kitchen now," Evelyn said, scooting past the two teens. "Just don't make too much of a mess. I think I still batter on the ceiling from the first time you two cooked together."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Isabelle asked, letting go of Jack.

"How about you sit at the table and don't touch anything?" Jack suggested.

"I want to help," she replied. "I peel potatoes or cut lettuce, just give me something to do so that I don't feel so useless."

"Okay."

Jack walked over to the bag of potatoes that he had just bought at the store and placed them in front of Isabelle. He grabbed a knife and a peeler and put them next to the bag. As he reached for the bowl to put them in he already saw Isabelle dangerously attacking the potatoes with the peeler.

"Belle, that's not how you do it," Jack said, as if he was talking to a child. He grabbed a potato and instructed her on the 'proper' way and then started on his own cooking.

"You are such a kitchen tyrant," Isabelle muttered.

Jack stuck his tongue out at her and brought what appeared to be tiny birds of some sort over to the table. He sat down and Isabelle made no effort to try to hide her disgust.

"What?"

"Eww, what are those, pigeons?" Isabelle asked, pointing at the meat with the peeler.

"Cornish game hens," he replied. "They're like chicken."

"That's just wrong, they're so tiny," she said, making a face.

"They're fine," he said, shaking his head. "You are so unadventurous."

Isabelle laughed and went back to the vegetables before her, peeling them the way Jack had taught her to. She was halfway through the bag when Jack started to sing. She smiled, there was something amusing about Jack Mercer, a relatively well-known kid with a bad reputation sitting there cooking and singing. If only the people at school knew him the way she did.

"Okay, I'm done," Isabelle announced.

"Can I trust you to use the knife the right way?" he asked.

"Ha…Ha…You think you're so funny," Isabelle replied.

Jack just smirked and stood up. He brought the hens over to the table the countertop, turning his back to Isabelle only for a moment before he heard a loud yelp. He turned back towards her and saw her holding her index finger in her fist.

"What happened?" Jack asked, getting her to stand and walk over to the sink.

"I cut myself," Isabelle admitted, childlike.

Jack grabbed her hand and exposed the cut to the air. She winched softly as he turned the water on and placed it beneath the running stream. Carefully, he began to wash the area gently, not allowing Isabelle to do it herself even as she went to. Grabbing the towel from the hook just to the left of the sink he pulled her finger out of the water and wrapped it around it, holding it firmly in the cushioned fabric.

"Come on, let's go to the bathroom to clean it up," Jack instructed.

"It's all right," she said.

"I know, I just want to make sure it is," he replied. He threw open the bathroom door and sat her down on the closed lid of the seat. He rummaged through the medicine cabinet and pulled out a bandage. "Give me your hand."

Isabelle did as she was told and watched Jack as he unwrapped her finger and placed the bandage over it. He brought the finger up to his lips and kissed it lovingly.

"All better."

Watching Jack take such good care of her over a little cut made Isabelle remember earlier. It was horrible that a person she had scarcely know for three months would take better care of her than someone who was supposed to be a member her family. She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes and shook her head, trying to ward them off, but they came anyway.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Jack asked, kneeling down in front of her.

"Do you want to know the grand realization of the day?" she asked him. She bit her lip as he nodded softly, wiping a tear off of her cheek. "Remember how they did a blood test on me the day we reported my father?"

"Yeah."

"It turns out Mr. Leary isn't."

"Isn't what?"

"My father."

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**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt  
Ebonyrose02  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors (Not exactly...Emo kids in my town are more Hawthrone Heights than Avenged Sevenfold.)  
Shining Star of Valinor (lol...Give into their whorey powers! I love that! I also love the Jack/Isabelle baking a cake/getting it on thing...I just might use that. Do you mind? I can so see GH in a scenario like that...wow, hot...and just a little disturbing...lol...Oh, and I would never objectify a man by talking about his ass...um, or would I? Hahaha, the world may never know!)**

**A/N: I have been noticing that my grammar is really bad in my stories lately. I have been making a lot of errors in pronouns and leaving words out...sorry! When I get the chance I am going to fix all of that. Also, if this chapter has any errors in it, again I am sorry...It's officially 5:04 am where I am and I am tired, but felt I should post it right away...Don't ask why I don't know,I just did.**

**P.S. Soon I will be getting back into the good, juiciness of the things like Jack and Bobby revenge and the trial...You know...Sex, drugs and violence...The most entertaining parts of any story...lol.**


	23. There's A Reason For Us

**Warning: Slightly graphic...But nothing drastic.  
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Isabelle was setting the table, carefully placing everything the proper way. To her it was a distraction to keep her mind from wandering into territory she didn't want to explore. As soon as she had confessed to Jack what she had found out he had wanted to talk about it. Everything with him was about talking or sharing, Isabelle just wasn't raised that way. If you had a problem you were to keep it to yourself. Problems were burdens that you shouldn't force other people to bear. So she just kept all her thoughts to herself, even though Jack was pressing her to talk.

Walking past the dinning room, Jack glanced into it. He watched the way Isabelle dazedly set the table but made sure it was perfect. He wanted to go in there and shake her, wake her up from her state. He wanted to know what was going on in her head. It seemed odd that she could find out something so devastating and yet act as if nothing happened. He knew she thought that she was a nuisance no matter how many times he told her he wanted to know everything. She just wasn't the emotive type it seemed.

"How are you two doing in here?" Evelyn asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Fine," Jack replied. "Isabelle only had one accident today and dinner's almost done."

"Isabelle, do you need any help?" Evelyn asked.

Looking up slightly from the table, Isabelle shook her head softly and then went back to her work. Evelyn looked over at her son, squeezing his shoulder slightly and leading him over to the hallway.

"What's going on?" she questioned.

"She told me about Mr. Leary," Jack answered. "Not everything, just that he wasn't her father. She hasn't spoken to me since."

Evelyn looked at her son, knowing that there had to be more to it. Usually if Isabelle wasn't talking to Jack there wouldn't be so much tension, he would simply walk over to Isabelle, wrap his arms around her and refuse to let go until she either slapped him or gave in, the latter more so than the former. He pushed his hands through his hair and looked down at the floor.

"It's just so damn infuriating that she can't tell me everything that's going on. I want to know. I want to be able to tell her that everything is going to be alright and then make sure that it is. But I can't do it if she won't let me in. I have no secrets from her. I have told her things I haven't even told you, but I feel like it's a fight just to get her to tell me the simplest thing."

"It's nothing against you, Jack, I'm sure of it," Evelyn replied, her voice soft but firm. "She is scared and she is confused. She was taught that emotions are wrong, telling secrets is wrong. She has had no one to protect her, so when you come along and promise her that you will keep her safe no matter what she doesn't understand. To her it's just a bunch of words. You really want her to open up to you, just talk about other things first. You two have a true connection. If you start talking to her about anything she'll start to open up. She is right now whether you realize it or not. Her silence is expressing more than she ever can in words. You just have to listen."

Jack nodded and walked back into the kitchen just as the buzzer went off. Isabelle looked up at the sound and saw him standing there taking the hens out of the oven. She walked into the kitchen and as he put the tray down on the stovetop she wrapped her arms around his waist and scrunching her nose up in disgust.

"I still think they're rather gross," she whispered.

"Be nice or when we sit down to eat, I'll make your's dance."

"I think I'm becoming a vegetarian."

Laughing softly, Jack turned around in her arms and pressed her hand to the side of her face. Over her shoulder he could see the table set to perfection. He kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of her shampoo as he did.

"Your table display looks lovely," Jack whispered.

"Perfection is what we all strive for," she replied, smiling weakly and letting go of him.

"Where did you learn that, it's kind of depressing."

"My fa…Mr. Leary."

Isabelle frowned and started to walk into the other room again. Jack reached out and grabbed her hand softly, pulling her back to him. She looked up at him, noticing his eyes and how carefully they searched hers.

"Belle, don't shut me out now. We've come too far."

"I'm not shutting you out. I'm just protecting myself. I tell you things, Jack, I do…"

"You tell me the basic information but never any details. What are you protecting yourself from?" he questioned. She flinched slightly as Jack pressed his hand the cheek that once was covered in a large, ugly bruise. Soothingly, he ran his thumb along her skin. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know."

"Please don't push me away."

Isabelle looked at him like she was going to say something, but changed her mind. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and then turned around, heading back to the dinning room. She went back to fixing the things on the table, Jack had determined it was a nervous tick, and then looked over at him from the other room, creating an invisible barrier between the two of them.

"People used to always tell me that I had Mr. Leary's eyes. I guess I have the eyes of a stranger," she said softly. She looked back down at the table grabbing the silverware and starting to rearrange it. "You better finish up dinner before the barbarian gets home if you want him to be civilized."

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Isabelle and Jack sat cuddling on the floor watching a movie while Bobby took up the entire couch reading the paper and Evelyn did needle point in the oversized chair. Isabelle rested her heading Jack's lap and he ran his hand through her hair idly while watching the characters on the television.

"You two ain't gettin' too friendly down there, are you?" Bobby asked, peering over the top of his paper.

"Yeah, Bobby, me and Belle are about to go at it in the middle of the living room while you and ma are here," Jack replied, shaking his head. "Give us a more credit than that. We ain't Angel and Sofi."

"Izzy, you sure you ain't tryin' to get a little piece of action down there?" Bobby crudely joked.

Usually by now Isabelle would have retorted with some comeback but she didn't say anything. Jack looked down at her, her eyes cold and glazed over staring out ahead of her. He pressed his hand to the side of her face and she stood up quickly, running up the stairs. Jack instantly took off after her.

"Go back downstairs," Isabelle said, standing in front of the bedroom door.

"No," he replied. "Why did you run up here so fast?"

"I wanted to be alone," she replied.

"I don't think that's a good idea," he informed her.

Jack reached over and opened the door for her and followed behind her into the room. After shutting the door he turned back around to face her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her head resting in her hands. Jack slowly walked over to her, taking a seat beside her. She looked up slightly and then broke into tears.

"It's going to be okay," Jack said, pulling her to him.

"Don't tell me that," she replied. Isabelle pushed him away and stood over by the door. She rested her back against it and slid to the ground. "You don't know what this is like."

"Yes, I do and you're pushing me away. Both physically and mentally." He walked over to Isabelle and knelt down in front of her, reaching out to brush her hair from her face. She quickly swatted his hand away. "Belle-"

"You want me to tell you the truth? Fine, I'll stop pushing you away and I'll tell you the truth," she said, harshly. "Jack, I always knew I was a mistake. I was reminded of that constantly by Mr. Leary. And I took my punishment for being born everyday."

"You we're not a mistake, you're here for a reason," Jack insisted.

"No, I was a mistake." She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked up at Jack but instead of looking at him, she was looking threw him with cold, distant eyes. "After I found out Mr. Leary wasn't my dad, things started to make more sense. I mean, I understand now why he never went after Jane…She was his real daughter, she's my sister, bet you didn't know I had one."

"You never mentioned her before."

"She was a little more than five years older than me, so when she turned eighteen she up and left. My mom left a month later, leaving me and Mr. Leary in a house alone. I always wondered why my sister and mother would leave within weeks of one another and just leave me there to fend for myself. I don't have to anymore. I wasn't one of them. I was the one who destroyed everything. I was twelve, though, Jack, I didn't understand that yet. I thought the two of them were off together and they were just waiting for the moment when it would be safe enough to come and take me with them."

Jack watched Isabelle's eyes. She was too far gone to be reached at that moment, her eyes told him that. Her eyes had turned from their usual leaf green to a grab olive color. He wanted to do anything to make her snap out of it, but he couldn't. He knew that until she finished speaking she was unreachable.

"When they left Mr. Leary was good for a while. He stopped all his hitting and yelling. I remember it was my thirteenth birthday when it started all up again. I was sure that Jane and my mother were coming for me. I was idealistic and I thought that they wouldn't let me spend it alone. I even packed my stuff up and hid my suitcase underneath my bed. They didn't come but he did. The stroke of midnight he came into my room. I was still awake but I had all my lights off and it appeared that I was sleeping. I can remember his hands on me and the alcohol on his breath. I had no idea what was going on until it was too late. I screamed and I pleaded but nothing made him stop…"

Isabelle's voice trailed off and her eyes became soft and they focused on Jack. He had tears in his eyes as well, he knew what it felt like. He knew the horror of someone coming and stealing something so valuable from you. Jack gently rested his hand on her knee, testing to make sure it was okay to touch her. She barely noticed.

"He told me I was a big girl now and that I could keep secrets that I never could before." Isabelle was letting the tears roll down her cheeks, not bothering to wipe them away. "After he was done he told me I had caused it. It was my fault because of the way I acted around him. I didn't understand that. How I could cause him to do something like that to me? I did understand having to keep the secret though, if I told I knew it would just be worse, just like when he would hit me. I had made the mistake of telling someone one time, he made sure I never made that mistake again."

Without warning, Isabelle flung herself at Jack, gripping onto his shirt as if he was her only lifeline. He wrapped his arms around her as well, holding her tightly. He could feel her sobbing against him, then the warm, wet tears that fell from her eyes onto her shirt, soaking through to his skin.

"I can't lose you, Jack," Isabelle whispered, as she got control of her emotions. "You're all I have that's real. Please don't hate me."

"Hate you? Why would I-"

"Because of the things I do. I hurt you and you're right, I do push you away. I'm just afraid of getting hurt again. I mean, if my own family could leave me with this monster then how could I believe that someone who has no relation to me could love me enough to not leave me?"

"Isabelle, I will never leave you. It's not just because I love you, which I do, but it's because I know there's a reason for us. I am always going to be there for you, even when you want to get rid of me. I'm always going to protect you, I'm always going to love you."

Isabelle bit her lip and let out a short, strange sounding laugh. Jack helped her up off the floor and, while still holding her hand, walked over to his closet. He pulled out one of his shirts and placed it on the dresser while turning back to her. She still had the remnants of tears in her eyes as Jack reached out and gently ran the back of his hand against her red, hot cheek.

Wordlessly, he dropped her hand and let his hands grip at the bottom of the fabric of her shirt. He pulled it up over her head, slowly undressing her. There was nothing sexual about it and there were no awkward feelings. Jack was just doing as he promised, he was taking care of her, loving her. He picked the shirt up from the dresser and slid it onto her. He gently gathered her hair in his hands and pulled it out from underneath the shirt, letting it fall down around her shoulders. Isabelle slowly stepped out of her jeans, laying them down on the floor beside her shirt and then walked over to the closet. Isabelle pulled out a shirt for Jack, doing the same thing he had done for her.

After they were both dressed for bed Jack pulled the covers back and settled Isabelle in before climbing in himself. As soon as he made contact with the bed he felt Isabelle's arms wrap around him and her head rest against his chest. He reached over to turn the light off and Isabelle clung tighter to him, the dark frightening her because of all it's bad memories. Jack looked down at her, unable to make out more than the outline of her body and the whites of her eyes.

"When my foster father first came into my room it was a lot like that," Jack admitted. He felt Isabelle's head moved on his chest so that she was looking up at him. "It was late at night and he was drunk. He came into my room and he sat on the edge of my bed. I remember I had this sick, foreboding feeling in the pit of my stomach. His hand ran against my leg and it was the first time in my life he was ever gentle with me."

Jack paused for a moment and looked down at Isabelle. She reached up, carefully stroking the base of his neck up to his hair. He welcomed the feel of her touch and closed his eyes momentarily to let her embrace intensify in his mind. When he opened his eyes again she was still touching his skin and looking at him and he was ready to continue speaking.

"He told me that I had something wrong that was beyond my usual punishment. I was eight and I didn't know what could be worse than him hitting me. I remember that he grasped firmly onto my leg and I kicked to get him to let me go, but he didn't. With his other hand he flipped me over onto the mattress so that my head was face down into it so that any scream I made was muffled. The next thing I could remember was this pain inside me that just felt like I was being ripped open."

Isabelle moved her hand from his neck to his cheek, catching his salty tears on her hand. Jack made no effort to stop them, he felt no shame in crying in front of her. He knew that she would understand and could bear his soul to her without any worries.

"I didn't sleep that night, even after he left my room. I was so afraid that he was going to come back and do it to me again. I hid underneath my bed the rest of the night and the next day at school, I felt so ashamed and I thought everyone was staring at me and that they could tell. Then I started to resent them because they weren't saying anything or telling anyone who could help me. I swore that they could tell what was happening and that they just didn't care," he admitted. He placed his hand over hers and gently pulling it away from his face so that he could intertwine their fingers. "You're the only person I ever admitted that much too."

Isabelle settled in against Jack as he rested their hands on the bed. She felt his free arm wrap around her body and pull her closer to him so that there was absolutely no space between the pair. The two of them laid side by side neither one feeling the need to talk and neither one letting the wave of sleep overtake them. In that moment Isabelle knew that Jack had been right about there being a reason for them. It was the first time either one of them knew their lives hadn't been a mistake.

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****A/N: Yes, I know it's really sappy at the ending...Oh, well.**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (Happy Belated Birthday! Come on, did you really think I was going to make it that easy for Isabelle and Jack to get their groove on? You should know by now that just is not my style! lol.)  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors (lol, it's a bit later than usual...Luckily, I didn't find any Adema emo kids waiting to attack me though, so it's cool! p.s. I am such a dork, had to ask my emo-boy obsessed friend who Adema was lol.)  
Shining Star of Valinor (No cake and sex in this chapter! Sorry, but trust me, I have something planned in my sick twisted little mind that will involve a combination of Jack, cake, icing and sex...lol, you'll just have to wait to see!)  
Sliver of Melody**


	24. Her Decision His Acceptance His Revenge

**Sorry it took so long to update! Had things that I needed to deal with!  
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Isabelle and Jack set nervously in the social worker's office. It was nearly three weeks since the pair had gotten back together and they knew that two weeks without incident was asking too much. They knew both felt as if something bad was in the air. Mrs. Henderson and Evelyn had left the room to discuss something and had left the pair alone in the room and out of the situation despite who it was affecting the most. Isabelle rested her head on Jack's shoulder and sighed.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I will be a lot better when I know what is going on," Isabelle muttered, turning her head so that she could face him. "I hate not knowing."

"Me, too," he replied, kissing the top of her head.

Jack pulled Isabelle's chair closer to his and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly. Jack placed his lips by his ear, singing in a low whisper into her ear. It was so easy for Isabelle to forget the matters at hand when Jack was holding her, whispering to her, letting his hot breath wrap around her next soothingly. Luckily, Mrs. Henderson and Evelyn walked back into the room before Isabelle and Jack got too comfortable.

Walking to the other side of Isabelle, Evelyn took her seat but didn't look at the girl. She moved out of Jack's grasp but reached over to hold his hand. Mrs. Henderson took her seat and let out a small sigh.

"Is something wrong?" Isabelle asked.

"Mr. Leary is claiming temporary insanity as his cause for the abuse," Mrs. Henderson said. "After a psychiatric evaluation it was validated."

"He's claiming loss of sanity to justify what he's done?" Evelyn asked.

Isabelle looked up from the table and laughed bitterly. She wanted to say something but knew that if she opened her mouth to speak she would regret it later. So she stayed quiet, gripping tightly onto Jack's hand as he spoke for her.

"How can he claim temporary insanity if his abuse went on since Isabelle was a child and he started raping her when she was thirteen? Sixteen years of mental and physical abuse with three of them being sexual is not _temporary_," Jack said, angrily.

"Mr. Leary claimed the he knew all along about Isabelle not being his daughter. He said that the affair his wife had caused him to react differently to Isabelle than he had to his other daughter. Then after his wife left him he lost all ties he had to sanity and that was the cause of his sexual abuse."

"I think the fuckin' legal system is having a bout of temporary insanity," he muttered.

"What my son means to say, that it's hard to believe there's no way to disprove his claim," Evelyn rephrased.

"There is but it's a long shot and it's going to force Isabelle to go up on the stands," Mrs. Henderson replied.

"No," Isabelle said, shaking her head. "I won't do it. I can't do it. If I see him there I know that somehow I'm just going to make things worse. It's not a possibility."

"Isabelle-"

"Jack, you don't know," she said, cutting him off. She turned towards him but let her eyes wander to the floor. "I know you've been through the trial and everything turned out fine for you, but he manipulates me to the point where I lose all control over things I do or say. I just know that I won't be in control if I see him there and I don't want to feel like I'm being raped all over again just so that he can be punished. I'd rather just move on with my life."

"But you're not moving on if you let him get away with it. He needs to be punished."

"No, you just think that my past needs to be avenged."

"Is that wrong?"

"He will be punished," Mrs. Henderson cut in. "He will have to undergo psychiatric help and he will be put on a list of sexual offenders as well community service. Also, if she chooses, Isabelle can get a restraining order placed upon him."

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Jack asked. "This monster hurt Isabelle her entire life and he gets community service and a piece of paper telling him to stay a hundred yards away from her?"

"It's not enough, I know, but it's all that can be done if Isabelle doesn't want to go through with the trial."

"It's good enough for me," Isabelle said.

"No, it's not."

"Maybe I should leave you two alone for a moment," Mrs. Henderson said, standing up. "Miss Mercer, may I speak to you outside the room?"

"Sure," Evelyn said.

Isabelle watched the two ladies leave the room. As soon as the door shut Jack placed his hand on the side of Isabelle's face. He was going to try to persuade her, she knew it, but she didn't want to be persuaded. She needed to get that through to him.

"Belle, baby, please don't give up,"

"I am tired of worrying about my past. I don't want to relive it anymore. Why should I be forced to?" she asked. "Jack, he will talk me out of it. I know he will. If I go to trial and I blank out up there, there is a possibility he will be cleared of all charges. That's bad for me and that's bad for anyone else who might come into contact with him. This is the safest thing to do."

"I went through the trial, I did it, you can too."

"You're stronger than me, Jack. I can't do it. Please just accept that," Isabelle begged. She placed her hand over his and pulled it away from her face. "Can you honestly tell me that you felt no repercussions from the trial? That you didn't start having nightmares again or feeling like someone that you loved was going to hurt you?"

Jack caught Isabelle's eyes and was ashamed that he had not thought about that. HE could remember the nights that he had spent awake, a baseball bat underneath his bed and his eyes on the door or the window just to make sure that he couldn't be hurt. He remembered one night he slept in the bathtub, door locked and cowering in the corner. Because of that night they no longer had a lock on the bathroom door.

"I did," he admitted.

"I'm just starting to get over those feelings and those nightmares. I refuse to go through them again," she said.

There was knock on the door and then it opened slowly with a small creak. Mrs. Henderson and Evelyn walked into the room one behind the other. Evelyn took her seat on the other side of Isabelle as Mrs. Henderson took the seat behind the desk. Jack squeezed Isabelle's hand tightly, signaling to her that it was her decision.

"I don't want to disappoint anybody…" Isabelle said, softly.

"You are not going to disappoint anybody in this room, ever," Evelyn replied, looking over at her. "Do what you feel is right."

"I'm not going to go through with the trial."

"Okay, it's your decision," Mrs. Henderson said.

"Is that all?" Isabelle asked, hopefully.

"Yes," he said, nodding. "However, I would like to talk to Miss Mercer by herself for a moment if you have the time."

"Of course," Evelyn replied. She pulled her keys out and handed them to Jack. "Why don't you two wait outside in the car?"

"Sure."  
Jack took the car keys and stood up, following Isabelle out of the room. As soon as they were out of the building, Jack wrapped his arms around Isabelle's waist, pulling her up against him. She grabbed the keys from him his hand and unlocked the door.

"Why do you think she had to talk to Miss Evelyn by herself again today?" Isabelle asked, slowly pulling away from Jack.

"I don't know," he replied. He pulled the door open for her and then slid in next to her. "Maybe they need to discuss the emancipation stuff now that it will probably be going a lot faster since there isn't going to be a trial."

Jack thought for a moment and then got a bit sad. It was then that he realized if the emancipation process did go faster he would lose her sooner. Isabelle noticed the look on his face, instantly understanding the reason why. She gently grabbed his face in her hands and pulled him towards her so that she could plant, short sweet kisses on his lips. She pulled away slightly and rested her forehead against his.

"Don't worry about it," she said, softly. "Do you really think Miss Evelyn is going to let me go far away?"

Jack shook his head softly and Isabelle smiled at him. She kissed him again and pulled him closer to her on the seat. She felt his arms instinctively wrap around her waist, keeping her against him and started to kiss her neck. She watched over his shoulder, thinking to herself how they would keep it together if she did get emancipated because she knew that the first thing she was going to do was get out of town. She felt Jack's kiss becoming more intense, he must have forgotten where they were, and just then she saw Evelyn walking out of the building. Quickly, she pulled away.

"Miss Evelyn's coming over," Isabelle said, when Jack groaned.

"Can we continue this later?" he whispered into her ear.

"Only if you behave," she replied. She pushed him to the other side of the backseat and put her seatbelt on.

"What if I don't?" he asked.

"Be quiet, Jack."

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Jack walked into his bedroom, pulling Isabelle along with him. She smiled as he shut the door and softly pressed her back up against it. His lips innocently slid across her neck to her shoulder, pushing the fabric away from her skin. Wrapping her arm around his waist, she pulled his hips against hers and heard him groan.

"Don't do that," Jack muttered, never taking his lips from her skin.

"Why?" she questioned, acting oblivious. "Did I hurt you?"

"No…Definitely not pain I'm feeling."

Isabelle laughed and pulled away from him. She headed towards the bed and plopped down onto it, Jack instantly sitting down beside her. He resumed kissing her neck, but she shook her head negatively and looked over at him as he pulled away.

"Is something wrong?" Jack asked, brushing the back of his hand against the red spot forming on her neck.

"No, I was just wondering something," she replied. She gave a weak smile and then turned her whole body to face him. "You do understand why I can't go through with the trial, right, Jack?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "Belle, I forgot about everything I went through until you reminded me and I didn't forget because it hurt any less, I forgot because I was upset and I just want Mr. Leary to…I just don't want him to ever forget the pain he put you through." Jack looked down at the bedspread and then back up at Isabelle, a childlike innocence and fear spread across his face. "Does that make me a bad person?"

"No. In a way that makes you a compassionate person."

Isabelle moved closer to him and started to kiss him softly. Jack's arms snaked around her waist as he laid down on the bed, pulling her on top of him. She rested her hands on either side of his shoulders and pushed herself up and away from Jack, hovering over him for a moment. With one hand pressed against the mattress to keep her a slight distance from Jack, the other one slid down his stomach to the button on his jeans. She could see the slight smile on his face as she undid the button and then pulled down the zipper slow and teasingly.

Gently, Jack rolled over and pushed Isabelle underneath him. She closed her eyes as his hands roamed the front of her body and slid down her stomach so that Jack was mimicking her earlier motions. She felt his hand slid beneath the fabric of her jeans and over the cotton beneath them. Her body was buzzing and Jack was attentive to the way she felt, lovingly pressing his lips to hers. Suddenly, the door flew open and Bobby barged into the room, scowling and cursing.

"What the hell do you mean you're not goin' to trial?" Bobby asked, angrily.

Jack, startled by his brother's entrance, fell off of Isabelle and onto the floor, hitting his head on the baseboard of the bed as he landed. Isabelle reached over, trying to help him up, but Bobby commanded her attention as he began to yell again.

"Izzy, why the hell are you giving up like that?" he asked.

"I'm not giving up. He's getting some type of punishment. If I went on trial and I froze then he could be acquitted. My chances aren't good otherwise, Bobby," Isabelle answered. She helped Jack back onto the bed, kissing the top of his head gently. "I know what I am doing. Don't question it."

"No, you don't know what the hell you're doing," he replied. "He deserves more than a slap on the wrist and fuckin' community service."

"It's my decision and you yelling and screaming isn't going to make me change my mind," Isabelle said.

"His ass deserves to be in jail."

"I just have to believe that everything will be okay in the end."

"I'm not waiting for that," Bobby said, turning around and walking out of the room.

Jack quickly stood up and ran after his brother. He was halfway down the stairs when he saw Bobby standing by the door, throwing his coat and the handle of a weapon easily visible from his pocket. Jack rushed over to him, grabbing his arm just as Isabelle made her way down the stairs as well.

"Don't do it," Jack insisted.

"If I gotta be the one to take revenge I'm gonna do it," he replied, shaking his head and pulling his arm away from Jack. "Come with me."

"What's going on?" Isabelle questioned.

Bobby quickly pulled his coat over the exposed handle and looked over at Isabelle. She walked over to the two of them, wrapping her arms around Jack and pressing her chest up against his back, her arms gently resting on his stomach.

"Nothin', Izzy," Bobby replied. "I just gotta take care of some business."

Bobby reached to open the door when Isabelle grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the door. He looked back at her an unsure look in his eyes.

"Please don't do anything stupid, Bobby," Isabelle begged. "I know you think that you can take care of it, but he's stronger than you'd think. So are you when you get mad. I don't want either one of you to end up hurt."

"Stop protecting him after all the shit he put you through, he isn't even your father."

"Doesn't mean I believe violence will solve anything."

Bobby looked down at the ground and then turned back towards the door. He started to walk away but stopped in the middle of the doorway, turned back towards Jack and Isabelle, grinning softly.

"You two both realize your flies are open, right?" he asked, jokingly. Isabelle smirked softly but it quickly faded. "Don't worry, Izzy, I ain't gonna do anything, I'll just scare him a bit. I promise."

"How much is a Mercer's promise worth?"

"Right now...The world."

Bobby slammed the door behind him and Isabelle heard the car start and pull away with a squeal of tires. She felt Jack walk up behind her and wrap his arms around her. He kissed the side of her head gently, holding her and trying to comfort her.

"Do you think he's going to behave himself?" Isabelle asked.

"He made a promise to you," Jack replied. "His promise might mean nothing to me or anyone else, but I have a feeling to you, they really do mean a lot."

Isabelle smiled and turned around in Jack's arms to face him. She reached up and pushed his hair out of his eyes so that she could get a good look at him and watched his eyes take in the sight of her.

"Everything's going to be okay, Belle."

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Bobby threw the door of the house open without knocking. He reached into his pocket, fingering the handle of the weapon comforted by the cool metal of it beneath his warm fingertips. He quietly shut the door and walked down the hallway, an eerie silence filling the room. He turned the corner to the living room and saw nothing but beer bottles and paper plates littering the floor and coffee table. He passed through the room, the odor of stale alcohol like a sleazy bar filled his nostrils.

Slowly, he made his way back towards the staircase. He headed up the stairs, surprised that they didn't creak in their decrepit state. He was at the top of the steps and he opened the first bedroom door, it was Isabelle's and there was nothing there. He moved quickly from it and a heard a loud thump coming from the room directly next to it. Without a though, Bobby ran towards the noise. He pushed the door open harshly, it slammed against the wall and exposed to Bobby a sight he was not expecting.

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**Thank You:  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (No potatoes! Sorry...But there was spuds...Well, almost spuds...lol, wow, I might be taking your potatoe analogy a tad bit too far...Oh, well. Thank you so much for your compliments! I hope your computer isn't all evale again.)  
Sliver of Melody  
Professor Simms (Wow, you read the whole thing straight through? That's amazing...I'm surprised when people can make it through one chapter without giving up! Thank you! And yes, how could Jack not be everyone's favorite? He's just so darned adorable!)  
Verona Sage (Aw, you have no idea how much that means to me! Thank you so very much!)  
(Are Jack and Isabelle canoodle? Hm, everyone seems to want them to hit the sack already...It's coming, but not for another 2/3 possibly5 chapters...lol, don't hurt me!)**

**A/N: This has like nothing to do with the story, but I truly suggest anyone with an open mind and above the age of 16/17 should see the movie "Transamerica." It is truly amazing and Kevin Zegers is absolutely amazing as Toby, his character breaks my heart.**

**Thank you for reading.**

**Please Review!**


	25. Something's Not Right

Jack was stretched across the length of his bed as much as possible. Isabelle was lying down beside him, her head resting on his shoulder as she silently read a book. Jack, tired of the quiet, turned his head to face her. He kissed her neck softly, trying to pry her attention from the book to him but she just laughed and ignored him. He whimpered softly like a puppy and nuzzled against her neck, then let his lips press harder against her sensitive, soft skin.

"Jack, stop," Isabelle said, pushing him away.

"No," he replied, lightheartedly. He wrapped his arms around her waist and resumed kissing her skin. "I feel neglected. I feel unloved. I feel really hor-"

"Do not finish that sentence," Isabelle warned him. She closed her book and rolled over to face him. "And even more to the point it's your fault that you're in this predicament. You are the one who couldn't keep you little friend in his pouch."

"Ouch," he said. Groaning softly, Jack kissed her lips gently parting her lips with his own. "Please? I love you."

"If I don't cater to your so-called 'needs' you're never going to leave me alone, are you?"

"Nope," he said, shaking his head.

Admittedly, these past few weeks had been tough on Isabelle, just as they had been on Jack. She wanted so badly to just to give into his touch and be with him again, especially at times like these. When Jack kissed her neck and pouted, there was something undeniably appealing about it, even though she pretended to be annoyed by it. Jack whispered against her skin that he loved her again and she felt the last barrier break.

Isabelle placed the book on the floor beside the bed and slowly climbed on top of Jack. He grinned widely up at her, resting his hand in the small of her back as she settled herself over him. Leaning the upper half of her body towards him, she started to kiss the crook of his neck, her tongue tracing a small raised scar. Jack's eyes fluttered closed and he let out a low growl of pleasure.

"Is that what you want?" Isabelle questioned, removing her mouth from his neck slightly.

"Yes," he answered.

Before Isabelle caught onto his plan, Jack placed his other hand on the side of her waist and quickly rolled over so that she was beneath him. He slid his hand down the front of her body, stopping just shy of the waistband of her jeans. Isabelle softly forced her hand between their two bodies and led Jack's hand down further. He helped her unbutton the fly of her jeans and slid his hand inside them and under the band of her underwear but keeping it within safe territory. He looked at her, making sure she was okay and saw Isabelle, her eyes closed, absorbing the pleasure that emitted into her body merely from his hand resting against her skin.

Taking notice of Isabelle biting her lip, he leaned down and nipped the other side playfully. She smiled at his cute gesture and ran her hand against his back, resting them on his shoulder blades. Isabelle was slowly getting involved in the action, needing to feel him just as much as he claimed her needed to feel her. She soothingly let her fingers slide across his shoulders and massaged the area in between.

"You're really good at that," Jack whispered, rolling his shoulders.

"Let me get up," Isabelle said softly. Jack obliged and she slid out from underneath him. The two of them sat up and she positioned herself behind him. She returned her hands to his back, gently kneading the knots out of his muscles. "Feel better?"

Jack laughed a reply and smiled, letting his head lull forward. It was so easy to relax while Isabelle ran her hands against his skin. She moved closer to him, resting her chest against his back and moving her head around so that her lips gently rested on his neck. Squeezing his shoulders tightly, Isabelle whispered something softly into Jack's ear, but he didn't hear it. Instead, he could hear a loud crash, as if something was falling to the floor, and a sharp, sudden pain in his stomach. Jack reached out to clutch his hands to the affected area and leaned forward in pain, gasping for air which seemed to escape his lungs before even entering them.

Removing her arms from his shoulders, Isabelle flew off the bed and moved over to the front of Jack. She kneeled down in front of the bed trying to peer up into his eyes but he was leaning forward, resting his head on the bed and moaning in excruciating pain.

"Baby?" Isabelle questioned, worried. She placed her hand on his head and gently brushed the hair away from his forehead. "What's wrong? Do you want me to get Evelyn?"

"No," he replied, quickly. He looked up at her, trying to hide his pain with a fake smile. "I'm okay, Belle, I'm fine."

"You don't honestly think that you could bullshit me, do you?" she asked.

Suddenly, just as quick as it came on, the pain subsided. Jack took in a deep breath, testing to see if he was able to, and then let out a loud sigh. He leaned backwards, falling onto the bed but keeping his hand pressed to his stomach just incase. Isabelle crawled onto the bed and hovered over him, looking down into his eyes.

"What was that about?" Isabelle asked.

"I don't know, but I'm fine now," he replied. He removed one hand from his stomach and placed it against her cheek. "I promise. I just got this intense pain in my stomach." He looked down towards the door and noticed an old picture of him and his eldest brother fighting. "Belle, something's not right with Bobby. I can tell."

Isabelle heard the phone ring and the sound of Evelyn walking towards it. She stood up and walked over to the door, Jack walking behind her. She threw the door open and headed down the stairs hearing the end of Evelyn's conversation. It wasn't anything too telling, but the sound of her voice left Isabelle nervous. She could tell that Jack was right. Evelyn hung the phone up and walked towards the stairs, ready to go get the two of them when she saw them already perched on the stairs anxiously.

"What happened to Bobby?" Jack asked.

"He's in the hospital," Evelyn said. She walked towards the door and grabbed her coat, turned back towards the two teens. "I think it's best if you two stay here."

"I disagree," Jack replied.

As he passed by Isabelle he grabbed her hand, not only to get her to come along with him but also for the comfort. She followed behind him, squeezing tightly on it. Jack grabbed both of their coats and started to head towards the car before Evelyn could protest his actions.

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The three of them rushed into the main entrance of the hospital. As Evelyn reached the front desk, Isabelle could feel Jack's arms wrap around her waist, needing to be close to her incase he need to find strength from her. Pressing her hands over his, she settled in against him. She knew how much Bobby meant to Jack, whether they admitted it to one another or not, it took a special kind of connection to sense when another person is in trouble and Jack had that connection to his brother.

"They said that they can't tell us anything yet," Evelyn said. She looked up at Jack, peering into his eyes and resting a hand on his cheek. "Why don't you and Isabelle go take a seat while I call up Jeremiah and Angel. I am sure that it's nothing but I would just rather have then informed of the situation while it is going on. I will be right back."

Isabelle broke out of Jack's grasp, but held onto one of his hands, leading him to the waiting room. She forced him into a seat before taking the next one over. He barely said anything the entire ride to the hospital. She knew that he hated these places, that he knew them all too well from the years of abuse. She wrapped her arm around her shoulders and he replied by resting his head on her shoulder, his hair brushing lightly against her neck.

"Everything is going to be okay," Isabelle whispered, kissing the top of his head.

"Whenever anybody in my family is hurt I can sense it," Jack admitted to her. "That night that Bobby came to your house and got you out of there, I could feel something was wrong with you. That's why I called despite you telling me to never call your house phone."

"I'm considered part of your family?"

"Of course," he replied.

"I'm sure Bobby's fine," she said. "It's Bobby, he's got a big mouth, a big ego, and a lot of fight in him. I haven't even known him that long and I can see it. I know you do. Plus, maybe he's not even hurt that bad. We don't know anything yet."

"I know," he agreed. "What would I do without you?"

"You wouldn't be in this predicament."

"Trust me, with Bobby, something was bound to happen."

Jack lifted his head from her shoulder and moved closer to her, kissing her cheek gently. She closed her eyes the moment that their skin met and he smiled to himself, savoring the sight of her, peaceful and content. Isabelle opened her eyes softly and brushed Jack's hair out of his face and off to the side.

"Mr. Leary probably did something to him and I told Bobby not to hurt him," Isabelle said regretfully.

"It's not your fault. Anyway, I would have done the same thing…Well, if I were you, even though we all know my view on what punishment Mr. Leary deserves."

"Mercer family," a nurse called out from beside the swinging doors of the emergency room.

Jack stood up instantly and grabbed Isabelle's hand, pulling her along with him. AS the reached the lady, she gave them a disbelieving look and didn't say anything.

"Mercer family, that's us. I'm Robert Mercer's brother. Our mother is making a phone call," Jack said, irritably. "What?"

"I can give information out to anyone under the age of eighteen," she replied.

"Are you serious? This is ridiculous," Jack muttered.

"Baby, relax," Isabelle whispered, squeezing his hand softly. She turned towards the lady and smiled politely. "I'm sorry, it's just that we're all really worried about him. Are you sure that there's nothing you could tell us? Anything at this point would mean the world."

"He's in stable condition, he'll be fine. When Mrs. Mercer comes back from making her calls come up to the front desk and they will tell you which room he is in," she replied.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," Jack said.

Isabelle led Jack back to the row of bolted down chairs. He sat down on one and as Isabelle went to sit in the one next to him he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her down into his lap. His grip on her tightened and he held her close to him in order to comfort himself. A few silent minutes passed before Evelyn walked back into the waiting room. Isabelle stood up and met her half way, Jack following behind her.

"Miss Evelyn the lady at the front desk said that Bobby was in stable condition but she couldn't give us any other details because we're minors," Isabelle said.

"Yeah, ma, she'd only give you info," Jack added.

After a discussion with the head nurse at the front desk Evelyn, Jack and Isabelle were allowed to see Bobby. They were being led down the white and creepily spotless hallway to his room by the same lady and could already hear the shouts coming from down the hallway.

"…_Don't fuckin' touch me. Keep that damn needle away from me, I ain't a fuckin' pincushion!"_

Isabelle and Jack laughed, instantly recognizing his voice, while Evelyn merely tried to ignore his rude behavior. However, as they neared the room, Evelyn couldn't help but to smile slightly, Bobby was being his usual self and that was evidence that no matter had happened he was going to be okay, more so than any scientific test could ever prove.

"Get out…Get out…Get out…" Bobby repeated like a mantra at the male nurse standing beside his bed. He tried to take his blood pressure but Bobby swatted his hand away. "Did ya just hear me tell you politely to get the fuck out? Damn man, I don't need no fairy ass med school dropout touching me."

Bobby took notice of his family standing in the doorway and smirked instantly. As the nurse left the room scowling the three of them entered. Jack took the seat furthest from the bed while Evelyn took the one directly beside it. Isabelle stood only a few feet away from the doorway until Jack motioned her over to him. He pulled down into his lap again and wrapped his arms around her waist, anchoring her to him.

"Hey, Jack, when you stop fooling yourself into thinkin' that you're straight, I think the 'murse' over there might be your soul mate," Bobby joked.

"Whatever, man," Jack replied, shaking his head.

"How are you feeling?" Evelyn asked. "What happened? Where are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. I just got a scratch," he answered. "I just needed some stitches on my stomach and now I'm fine. I keep trying to convince them to let me go home but it ain't working 'cause they ignore their patients in this hospital."

Isabelle smiled softly but knew that he wasn't telling the entire truth. Bobby always felt the need to be the strong one in the family, whether it was necessary or not. She had only known him for a little bit, but it was apparent from the beginning.

"What's goin' on here?" Bobby asked, pointing to Isabelle and Jack. "Jack, go get Izzy a chair, I don't want you free range groping her in the middle of the hospital. Better treat my sister with a little fuckin' respect."

"Can you please not use the 'f' word in the middle of the hospital?" Evelyn suggested.

"Sorry ma, but look at the way Jackie boy's all touchy-feely on Izzy, it just ain't right." Bobby pointed towards the curtain divider in the middle of the room that separated section of the room from another patient's. "Go over there and take a chair, Jack, they ain't usin' them."

Isabelle slowly slid off of Jack and watched him stand up. She took over the chair he was using and pulled it closer to the bed. Jack pulled back the curtain slightly so that only he could see the hidden section. He stared at the bed and then quickly grabbed the chair, pulling it back into Bobby's section. He pushed it over towards Isabelle and sat down, grabbing her hand.

"Belle, you and ma look tired, why don't you two go grab some coffee or something," Jack suggested, smiling down at her. "I mean, it has been a long day with everything going on."

"I don't th-"

"Go on you, two. Besides I want sometime with my baby brother over here," Bobby said. "I need to discuss with him the proper way to treat a lady. I mean, you don't go pawin' her like he was doin' to ya."

"First off, he wasn't pawing me," Isabelle said, standing up and walking over to the bed. "Secondly, I like being pawed." She leaned down and hit him on the shoulder. "Thirdly, I'm glad you're okay, but when I get back you are going to tell me and your mother the truth or so help me-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just get out of here," Bobby replied, waving her off.

Isabelle smiled despite herself and followed Evelyn out of the room and down the long corridor. Jack looked over at his brother, standing up and walking over to the curtain once he was sure that they were out of earshot and weren't coming back yet. He pulled back the curtain and exposed the patient.

"Care to explain?" Jack asked.

Just behind the curtain a man laid there in a sleeplike state. He was unmoving, machines hooked up to every part of his body and wires or tubes sticking out everywhere humanly possibly. The machine droned on filling the silence that had taken over the room while the unflinching Bobby just shrugged looking over at his little brother.

"I think Mr. Leary may have gotten it worse than I did."

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Thank You:**

**brandy2009  
cujoking (Hope this was fast enough for you...Sorry, if it wasn't. : p)  
Elven-Princess Ginny (Thank you for your review...Please do so again if you wish...I love finding out what people who have never reviewed before but have read the story think!)  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors  
Shining Star of Valinor (Haha...Definitely the must amusing/scary review I have gotten in a long time...Wow...Twenty minutes alone with Jack...Sorry, hon, don't think twenty minutes would be long enough to do all the things I know everyone who is a Jack fan wants to do with him...Be patient and the icing scene will come...I might even be writing it now...or not...you'll just have to wait and see...hee hee...Probably sooner than later though, you don't seem to be the type of person you want to be on the bad side of.)  
Sliver of Melody  
Verona Sage (Running Out of Pain withdrawls...Aww, that's such a compliment in a way...I think...lol. Sorry for the cliffie...I need to write something with tension...Although I guess the cliff has yet to be discovered is that the correct terminology? because I really didn't reveal much...Oh, well.)**

**I feel the need to also apology to I posted a comment to you in the last chapter but I forgot to write your name...Sorry! (EDIT: I tried to your name again but I think that the site thinks it is an email so I have to do it without the '.'s….So, this pertains to XCosmicDancerX…hopefully it works that time.)**

**A/N: Gotta reccomend another movie...lol, there's this great short film called "Cashback" starring Sean Biggerstaff (of Harry Potter movies and The Winter Guest fame)...It's really well filmed...Again, controversial and but tastefully done (well, for the most part) and who can honestly resist a hot guy with great emotive eyes and a Scottish accent? If you can, take a look at the film online...I love it...Everyone I know loves it...But we're all Indie film freaks...Again, only mature ages...Not for you if you can't get into an R-rated movie (or at the very least know how to sneak into one).**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, you all honestly have no idea how much they mean to me.**

**Please Review! I love the feedback...Constructive criticism always welcomed...I wasn't actually happy with this chapter...It seems a bit 'off' to me, but tell me what you think.**


	26. The Man Behind The Curtain

Jack sighed and paced the room, nervously. What had Bobby done? Walking towards his brother's bed, he took the seat closest to it and looked down at the ground. He shoved his hands through his hair and sighed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened or not. Jack glanced over at the body resting in the bed on the other side of the room. It was Mr. Leary, albeit bloody and bruised, but definitely him. He hated the way he was feeling at the moment. It was almost like he had a sick pleasure at t he sight of him in that state. He knew it was wrong to feel that way, but he had hurt Isabelle for so long and she was incapable of doing anything. Now he was the helpless one.

"What happened?" Jack finally asked, filling the silence in the room.

"I went to the house and when I let myself in I couldn't find him nowhere. So I walked upstairs and I heard this noise coming from one of the rooms. I headed towards it and there he was in Isabelle's bedroom, with a knife to his skin," Bobby said. He looked over at his brother, who couldn't hide his confusion. "So I fought the bastard for it. Ended up getting the nice cut on my stomach and a sprained wrist from it. After that-"

"Why did you stop him?" Jack asked, cutting Bobby off.

"Because that motherfucker shouldn't get off so easily," he replied.

"Isabelle's nightmare would be over if he were dead," Jack said, distantly.

"It wouldn't." Bobby looked over at his brother and heard Evelyn and Isabelle walking back towards the room. "Jack, go shut the fuckin' curtain before Izzy sees."

Jack instantly stood up and ran over to the curtain and pulled the fabric across the room.

"And if you mention any of what I said, I swear I'm gonna beat your ass the minute I get outta this fuckin' place."

"Yeah, not exactly how I want Isabelle to find out, Bobby," Jack replied.

"Find what out?" Isabelle asked, walking into the room, behind Evelyn.

"Nothing, Belle," Jack replied. He crossed the room to meet Isabelle at the doorway and wrapped his arms around her waist. She put her arms up in order to not spill the two cups of coffee in her hands. "I missed you."

"I was gone for like four minutes," she said. She pulled out of Jack's grasp and thrusted one of the cups into his hand. "Something to keep you warm."

"You do a better job."

"And unfortunately for you, I won't be doing that any time soon," she replied, smirking.

"You two do realize that there are other people in the room, right?" Bobby asked.

Isabelle laughed and walked over to Bobby. She took the seat that Jack had previously occupied and sighed, watching as Evelyn talked to Bobby and Jack stood at the other end of the room. She noticed him looking over at the curtained section of the room now and again and was tempted to ask him what was so interesting about it, but decided not to. Jack could be weird, certain things just caught his eye for no reason, perhaps that was what the curtain had done. After the third of fourth time, Jack looked up and noticed Isabelle watching him looking over there. He instantly stopped doing it and smiled at her nervously. Bobby, who had noticed it as well, laughed at his little brother and shook his head.

"Trying to get some redecorating ideas, fairy?" he asked, trying to cover for him.

"Stop with the fairy shit, Bobby," Jack replied, doing the best impression of being normal that he could muster.

Jack hated that the man who had ruined his love's life was resting just behind a thin curtain and that he was incapable of doing anything to make him go away. He hated that Isabelle was sitting in that room merely feet from her monster, talking with Bobby like nothing was wrong. Jack walked over to Isabelle and knelt down in front of her, placing both of their cups on the floor and then taking her hands in his and smiling up at her softly.

"Is something wrong?" Isabelle asked.

"No. I just wanted to be near you," he replied, shaking his head.

"You two make me sick," Bobby muttered, collapsing onto the back of the bed.

Smiling slightly, Isabelle leaned down and planted a soft kiss on Jack lips. As she pulled away she raised her eyebrows at Bobby and laughed as he made gagging noises.

"Oh, very mature, Bobby," she said.

Bobby opened his mouth to reply when an alarm went off in the other side of the room. Jack stood up, glancing over at the curtain nervously. The doctors and nurses rushed into the room and Jack knew that he had to get Isabelle out of there before it became apparent that Mr. Leary was there. Letting out a loud, fake cough, Bobby tried to warn Jack that he needed to do something right away.

"Come with me," Jack whispered, grabbing Isabelle's hand and quickly leading her out of the room.

"Jack, we can't just leave the room," Isabelle said, as he pulled her down the hallway. "Your mother is going to be wondering where we went."

"You worry too much," he replied.

Jack turned the corner and noticed an empty storage room that was left open. He pulled her into it and shut the door behind them. He pressed her up against the wall, smiling and kissing the side of her neck while Isabelle continued to complain. Jack groaned and moved his lips to hers, busying her mouth so that she couldn't talk. She gave up instantly.

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Bobby watched as the doctors rushed into the room and huddle around Mr. Leary. In his mind, he was hoping that he survived. Not because he felt that the man could be redeemed or find God or anything else that resulted in him receiving underserved sympathy from anyone. He was wishing in the mere hopes that he could carry out the rest of his plans. He had tons of plans for him.

"M'am, you'll have to leave," the doctor said, as one of the nurses walked towards Evelyn.

While being ushered out of the room as the doctors began to work on the man behind the curtain, Evelyn caught a glimpse of his face. Bloodied and bruised, but nevertheless, it was Mr. Leary. She looked over at Bobby stunned but he shook his head and she realized that she wasn't to tell Isabelle yet. Not that it was much of a problem, since she didn't even know where Jack and Isabelle had run off to.

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Jack's hands were roaming beneath the fabric of Isabelle's shirt. He had forgotten about why he had pulled her in the closet to begin with, even the smell of old chemicals faded away as he heard the soft, sweet noises Isabelle made in reply to his touch. Even Isabelle had forgotten where they were. The two of them were giving into feelings that they were usually interrupted during the times they tried to express them.

Taking the lead, Isabelle moved so that she could shove Jack up against the wall instead of her. She took a step in towards him, smiling while imagining the bewildered look on Jack's face. She pressed her body up close to his so that there was no space in between the two of them. She pulled his shirt up, exposing his stomach and ran her hands along the warm skin.

Without much warning Jack reversed the roles again and pushed her body against the door. He started to kiss her neck gently and heard low, soft moans escape from her lips as he hand slid over the front of her jeans, exploring the fabric over the lower half of her body. She pushed her body tightly against his hand and could feel his smile on her neck as he kissed it.

Isabelle pressed her back harder against the door, squirming against it as she felt Jack's hands gently trace the hem of her jeans on her inner thigh. She shift to the left, her side hitting against something hard and cool, but she ignored it. As she continued to move with his touch she felt the wood behind her, which was the only thing keeping her up, fall away from her body. Instantly, she and Jack landed on the floor, a heap of teenage flesh.

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Once Mr. Leary had been taken down to the operating room, Evelyn was allowed back into the room. She looked over at Bobby, an obviously disappointed look upon her face. She didn't know what to say but when she looked down at him like that, words were unnecessary. Bobby sat up slowly, a pain rising to his stomach, but he was unsure if it was because of him stretching the stitches or the look from Evelyn.

"Ma, you can't tell Isabelle," Bobby said.

"What did you do?"

"I went to have a little chat with him and that coward was about to end his life. He doesn't deserve for it to be that easy," he whispered, so that any guards passing by couldn't hear. "He hurt Isabelle, ma, you can't tell me that you haven't thought about doing it to him yourself. Besides, I did the God fearing thing, I stopped him from killing himself."

"Just so that you could hurt him yourself," she replied.

"Is it so wrong to wanna see that bastard suffer?" he asked. "He sure as shit didn't care if Isabelle suffered, why the hell should I?"

Evelyn didn't say anything. She reached out and grabbed her son's hand in her own, squeezing it softly. Just then Isabelle and Jack walked back into the room, the two of them looking a little worse for wear, and giggling secretively. Jack's arms were wrapped around her waist, holding her closely to his own body.

"Where did you two go?" Evelyn asked.

"For a walk," Jack replied, taking his seat, pulling Isabelle down with him.

Isabelle looked over at the other side of the room and noticed the curtain drawn and the empty bed. She pointed at it and then turned towards Bobby and Evelyn who weren't paying enough attention to notice that Isabelle had seen that side of the room.

"Where did your roommate go, Bobby?" Isabelle asked.

"They had to send him to the O.R.," Bobby replied, nonchalantly.

"Poor man," she replied.

Jack watched Isabelle sighed and then turn towards him with a sad expression on her face. She was feeling bad for a person she didn't know, or who she though she didn't know. Jack, Bobby and Evelyn shared a look of worry as Isabelle glanced back at the empty portion of the room with a remorseful look on her face. If only she knew.

The next morning, Isabelle, Jack and Evelyn had returned to visit Bobby along with Jeremiah, Camille and the baby, Daniela. Isabelle and sat down on chairs pushed against the wall opposite of the hospital bed. Isabelle had the baby cradled to her body as Jack watched his niece sleeping in her arms.

Jeremiah was asking a million questions, none of which Bobby truthfully answered because Isabelle was in the room. Although, had he answered honestly she probably wouldn't haven't noticed since she was so preoccupied with little Daniela. Isabelle was cooing over the baby while Jack let the baby clasp her tiny hand around his index finger.

The doctor entered the room, surprised by the amount of family that his most obstinate patient had visiting him. He walked towards the bed, making his way past the family and checked the vitals on Bobby, while Bobby muttered curses and complaints that were easily ignored by him.

"Okay, people, you are going to have to clear out of here," the doctor said. "One of you can stay but that is all."

Isabelle, still holding the baby in her arms, Jack, Jeremiah and Camille all filed out of the room and into the waiting room. As Isabelle took the nearest seat available the baby woke slightly, letting out a loud grating scream. Camille rushed to get the baby her bottle, while Isabelle just rocked the baby gently and Jack sung softly. It certainly was a site to be seen.

"Well, ain't that the darnedest thing, you two'd make good parents," Jeremiah said.

"Never going to happen," Isabelle replied. She smiled and stood up, handing the baby back to Camille.

"Why's that?" Jack asked.

"Our gene pools are messed up enough, we do not need to bring any kids into this world," she answered. She sat back down on the chair and leaned over to Jack's ear, whispering softly, "But the practice test is pretty fun."

"I can't remember," Jack replied. Isabelle hit him softly on the shoulder and he just smirked. "Hey, it's true."

"Soon enough."

"How soon?"

"Really soon," she said.

Isabelle rested her head on Jack's shoulder and cuddled close to him, inhaling his scent as she relaxed.

After another ten minutes, Evelyn walked into the waiting room and took a seat on the other side of Isabelle. She told them that Bobby was going to be released that day and that he was just getting dressed at that moment. Isabelle grabbed Jack's hand and held onto it tightly.

"Things are going to be back to normal in the house," Isabelle said.

"Yeah, we should have taken advantage of it last night," Jack muttered.

Isabelle laughed softly and stood up just as Bobby walked into the waiting room, a hand clutched to his stomach, presumably where the scar was.

"Fairy, get your ass over here, I need something to lean on," Bobby mumbled, motioning Jack over.

Obediently, Jack walked over and helped his brother out of the waiting room and towards the elevators. Isabelle walked alongside them when she realized that she had left her purse in Bobby's room. She told Evelyn that she would be right back and then headed towards the room. She walked in, noticing that the curtain had been drawn again and she assumed that the man had been placed back in his room. Isabelle found her purse beside where she had been sitting in the room. She grabbed it and started to leave the room when she heard a wretched moan come from the other side of the curtain. Being the humanist that she was, she couldn't just let the man be in pain, she had to see what was wrong. She walked over to that side of the room and pulled the curtain back.

Instantly, she dropped her bag to the floor, the contents of it spilling out onto the floor. She swallowed hard, feeling pain explode throughout her entire body and hearing the whispers she used to hear at night at the will of that man. She quickly dropped to her knees and started to gather her things up and throw them into her purse when she heard him let out a soft croak of a word. At first she thought that she hadn't really heard it, that it was just a memory but then it came again, clear as anything.

"My little girl…"

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Thank You:**

**Cujo (The longest story? Um, is the good or bad? Am I making it too long? Just curious...)  
Elven-Princess Ginny (Well, I told you in this chapter what happened. Bobby needed to get hurt, sorry...And I update before monday!)  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors  
Jessica (Thank you for the all the reviews...You don't know how much it means when people take the time out to read and review chapters that they may have missed!)  
Shining Star of Valinor (Haha...Bang like bunnies who just got out of jail...LMAO, I don't watch that show, but that is just classic...Jack and Belle are gonna get it on soon, I totally promise, it's already planned...Just give me a chapter or two...You won't kill me by then will you? And yes, Billy will still love Mr. Leary even if Bobby went all crazy on his ass wait, that's Billy's job, isn't it? hehehe...I got things planned, just wait and see.)  
Trizzy (So, he wasn't with another young one...But he's still a dirty old man.)  
Verona Sage (Thank you so much...And I revealed stuff in this chapter!)  
XCosmicDancerX (You do a jig? lol...okay...The will canoodle that's such a funny word to say...canoodle soon.)**

**A/N (It's a long one, sorry): Okay, I am sorry to tell you people that this story might take a bit longer to update than usual. It is the end of the year and I am graduating high school as well as moving. So I really have to fit in time with my psycho friends, tie up the lose ends of high school, graduation day, project graduation (locked in a sports arena with most of the senior class and teachers until three/four in the morning...so much fun), graduation parties and moving from Jersey to PA. So, I promise to update when I can but please don't be mad if it takes a bit longer.**

**Also, I would like to ask your opinion people.  
Would you like:  
A) The story to end with the high school years  
B) The story to end where the movie begins. (Five year or so gap inbetween h.s. ending and movie beginning)  
C) The movie to extend into the movie and beyond it. (Five year or so gap inbetween h.s. ending and movie beginning)  
D) END SOON**

**Please, Please tell me what you think...I had such a bad case of writer's block this week that I almost decided to stop the story because of all the drama in the real world.**

**Please Review! It's what keeps me writing!**


	27. Control

"I always knew I taught you the right thing to do," Mr. Leary said, a disgusting grin dancing upon his busted lip. "My baby…She knows how to keep a secret."

Isabelle clutched a hand to her stomach and slowly stood up. She automatically took a step back, furthering the distance between the two of them.

"I'm not your baby," Isabelle whispered.

"Come, Izzabelle, we had fun," he said, hissing her name. "That's why you're not going through with the trial, isn't it?"

"Fun?" she question, bitterly. "Fun is not what we had. You are a fucking monster."

"I'm your fa-"

"No, you're not. I'm not related to you, I never have been, so I have no connection to you besides a last name that shouldn't even be mine." She grabbed her bag off of the floor, not bothering to pick up the rest of her belongings that had fallen out. "The next time Bobby goes after you, I'm not going to ask him to take it easy on you. The next time…You'll be lucky you make it out alive."

Isabelle turned around and ran out of the room. She wasn't paying attention to where to she was walking, her head down and her feet moving as fast as they could take her, that when she turned the corner to which the row of elevators hid behind she rammed into something, hard yet soft and landed on the floor with a loud thud.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, he was what Isabelle had run into her.

"Yeah."

Jack reached his hand down to help her up but she ignored it and got off the floor without his help. She walked past to him and over to the elevators, hitting the button on it angrily. Jack walked over to her, eying Isabelle curiously.

"Baby…"

"Don't call me, baby," she said, turning to him with a warning look. "_My baby…She knows how to keep a secret."_

"What?"

Isabelle wrapped her arms around herself as if she was trying to protect herself from something. Jack took a step closer to her and she backed away, her back pressed against the wall beside the elevator doors.

"He just said that to me…The man behind the curtain, Mr. Leary, my pseudo-father, whatever you want to call him."

"Isabelle, I can explain."

"I don't want an explanation right now, Jack, and I don't want to talk. Right now, I want to go home and rest before I say things that I'm going to regret later on," she replied. She turned towards the elevator, but it still hadn't come. She pounded upon the button angrily and kicked at the metal door. "And I want this fuckin' elevator to open the hell up."

Jack stood a few feet away from her, frightened by her state. As the elevator finally came she got in and stood in one corner while Jack stood in the other. They didn't talk to one other the entire ride down or in the car on the way home. He knew Isabelle was serious about not wanting to talk.

As soon as they got home, Isabelle jumped out of the car, grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him into the house, without looking back to see if Bobby and Evelyn were okay to get inside. She jogged up the stairs, still dragging him into the room and pushed him down onto the pair, glaring at him from her standing position.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Isabelle asked, not bothering to hide her anger.

"Because I thought you would try to talk to him," Jack admitted.

"And what if I did?" she questioned, irately. "You have no right to keep something like from me, Jack. If I want to talk to him, I should be able to and if I want to ignore him, than I should able to do that. What I shouldn't be doing is trying to explain to you what I'm allowed to do. Don't ever think you can control me, Jack. If you even fuckin' try I will leave you without ever looking back."

There was an intense anger in Isabelle's voice and choice of words that Jack knew wasn't just directed towards him. She had talked to Mr. Leary and she still hurting from that encounter. Jack wanted to reach out and hold her, tell her that everything was going to be alright, but he knew that he couldn't promise her that and that lying to her would be worse than not offering any condolences.

"I'm would never try to control you," he replied, softly.

"But you doing that, it was a type of control. He controlled me my entire life and I refuse to let anyone else who says they love me control me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, but-"

"I love you, Jack. I can't help it, I wish I could, but I can't. But you have to let me make my own decisions about what I want to do. I'm not some damsel in distress waiting for some prince to show up and protect me by hiding me away in some ivory tower while he goes and fights my battles."

"Isabelle, I-"

"Let me finish," she said, cutting him off. "Promise me you'll never do that again. Promise me that you'll never lie to me. Because, if truth be told, you keeping this secret from me hurt just as much as the incident with Scarlet."

"I'm sorry and I promise."

"You better mean that, too because if you-"

Jack smirked and stood up, no longer afraid of Isabelle's actions. He pressed his hand to her face and kissed her softly, instantly getting her to stop talking. She smiled despite herself and returned his kiss eagerly.

"Are we okay now?"

"Yeah, we're good," Isabelle replied.

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Later on in the evening, Bobby had 'business' to attend to despite the protests from everyone fearing he would rip out his stitches, and Isabelle and Jack sat on the couch, Isabelle reading something aloud to Jack, while Evelyn sat in the couch listening as well. Jack had to admit that ever since learning about his 'auditory learning' he loved to hear Isabelle read aloud to him. It wasn't just her voice that soothed but the things we got to imagine in his head from the words on the pages that he never before understood clearly. He somehow felt smarted.

_"…The well-dress men and women in the city were skilled in looking the other way when they came across a derelict it of humanity. To the business folk in camel-hair coats and Armani shoes, the bums of the city were unfortunate by-products of their lives—like the mountains of trash that accumulated each time the sanitation workers went on strike—so they simply turned their noses up and kept on walking…"_ Isabelle read.

Isabelle stopped for a second and looked up at Jack, scrunching her nose up. She went to close the book but Jack placed his hand between the pages so that the spot was saved.

"What's wrong?"

"It's such a childish book," she replied.

"I like it though," Jack said. He looked down at the pages. "You seem to forget that I never got to do the whole childhood toys and books and such. Besides, didn't you say it was one of your favorites?"

"Yeah, my sister got it for me for my twelfth birthday," she said. Isabelle thought for a moment and smiled, turned around in Jack's arms so that she was practically on top of him. "Your birthday's on Saturday, isn't it?"

"Possibly…"

"And you thought I was going to let you get away with it without celebrating?" she questioned smiling.

"Maybe…"

"You're a foolish, foolish boy."

Isabelle kissed him softly on the tip of his nose and smiled. Jack could already see that she was planning something in her head. Before he could react to anything she sat up and was running out of the living room and upstairs to the bedroom.

"It's never a good sign when Isabelle gets that look on her face," Jack mumbled, standing up and walking into the kitchen.

"You should be used to it by now," Evelyn replied.

"I hate my birthday, ma, you know that," he said. He took the seat across from her and rested his head on his folded arms.

"Yes, but she wants to do something for you," she said. She looked over at her son, smiling slightly. "Come on, Jack, it's Isabelle. You don't have to worry about someone doing something hurt you."

"I know that, it just brings bad memories back to the surface."

"Hers does too, Jack. Maybe, you like her, just need to substitute the bad memories for good ones."

Jack smiled and shrugged slightly. He stood up and walked over to the staircase. He started to creep up the stairs quietly, hearing Isabelle's voice behind the door, obviously on the phone with someone, probably Haven. He placed his ear against the door, trying to understand the soft whispers coming from the room.

"Jack Mercer, get your ear away from the door now!" Isabelle yelled playfully as she hit her hand against the door directly by his ear.

"Shit, Belle," he said, falling to the floor.

"Serves you right." She opened the door and with the phone still pressed to her ear, looking down at Jack on the floor. "Don't invade my personal space. Remember the conversation we had earlier about control?"

"I'm leaving," he replied, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Just please, not parties with Power Rangers or Bunny Rabbits."

"Haven, Jack just gave me the best idea…"

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**Thank You:  
Bigamericanflirt (Sex scene? In the last chapter?...Sadly, no, Jack still grounded...well, only for a bit longer...hehehe.)  
Cujo  
danielle-serena  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors  
Riley  
Shining Star of Valinor (Thank you for the lovely, PM...haha, and I promise if I ever need a cheerleader/motivational speaker you will be the first person who comes to mind. Also, I think you know what's going to happen next!)  
Trizzy  
Verona Sage  
4everdreaming**

**A/N: The book excerpt is from "The Downsiders" by Neal Shusterman. Also, I know this chapter was really bi-polar or ADD-ish, but I was too lazy to write two separate chapters to connect to the next one. I am also aware it's short, but I promise the next chapter will make up for it.**

**Please Review! I love feedback!**


	28. Happy Birthday

**This chapter is dedicated to Shining Star of Valinor for her wonderful suggestion...hehe.  
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"Get your ass up," Isabelle said, slapping Jack playfully on the butt. "Come on, Jack."

"It's my birthday, I want to sleep late," he murmured, rolling over.

"Fine, stay in bed. You just won't get your birthday present from me," she replied. She went to walk away when she felt Jack tug on her arm and pull her onto the bed. "Jack, I can't be late."

"Is my birthday present you?" he asked like a little boy. He kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Can I have you?"

"No way, rock star," she said. She pulled out of his grasp and stood up. "Up now or I'll get Bobby to come in here to wake you up. So choose which you would rather."

"All right, all right, I'm getting up," he said, sitting up.

"You better."

Isabelle walked over to the door and looked back at Jack who was slowly getting up. He turned towards her and started to walk away from the bed.

"Isabelle, leave now or I will start stripping right in front of you," he warned.

"Go ahead, I dare you," she replied, shocking him.

"Okay," he said.

Jack took off his shirt and playfully threw it to her. She laughed at Jack as he did his best, but still bad, impersonation of a male stripper. She ran out the door, dropping his shirt of the floor and walked down the stairs.

"Hey, you don't want to see the grand finale?" he asked, sticking his head out the bedroom door.

"Ew, no thanks," she said, standing at the bottom of the steps.

Jack made his way to his closet and grabbed random pieces of clothing out of it, throwing them on carelessly. He walked down the steps and over to the kitchen, seeing Isabelle and Evelyn whispering something intently to one another.

"Happy birthday, Jackie," Evelyn said as she stopped whispering to Isabelle.

"Why is it that whenever I see you two talking I get the feeling that you're talking about me?" he asked.

"Because your ego is the size of your hair?" Isabelle suggested. She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up into his eyes. "Happy birthday, Jack."

"Thank you," he replied. He kissed her softly and peered down into her eyes. "Are you sure you have to work today?"

"Unfortunately," she answered. "But I promise I will make it to your birthday dinner tonight, my boyfriend only turns seventeen once. Forgive me?"

"Of course."

Jack slid his arms around her waist and swung her to face the other direction. He walked with her towards the door, waving a goodbye over his shoulder to Evelyn.

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"Where is she?" Jack asked, more worried about Isabelle than his birthday. "She's never late."

The dinner plans were set for six and it was nearly seven and Isabelle still hadn't come home from work. Jack kept thinking that something bad had happened and that she was stuck somewhere in unsafe territory, even though he knew that Haven was giving her a ride home.

"I knew I should have picked her up," he muttered.

"No worries little bro, Isabelle probably just picked up on those gay vibes you send out and headed for the hills," Bobby said.

"Shut up," he replied. "I'm going to go-"

Suddenly, the door flew open and Isabelle rushed into the house, Haven following behind her carrying Isabelle's bags. Isabelle ran straight past Jack and the rest of the family, heading straight for the bathroom.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

"She got food poisoning," Haven said, placing the bag on the floor. "I would have had her home sooner, but she was in the bathroom retching at work."

Jack walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it softly. Isabelle was moving around in the room and she mumbled something that he couldn't quite make out.

"Belle, are you okay?" he asked.

"Fine…Just…A bit…"

Again came a horrible noise coming from the bathroom. Jack walked over to his family and Haven, shaking his head softly.

"I can't leave her here by herself," Jack said. "Maybe we should just reschedule the whole dinner thing."

"She won't be by herself, though, Jack. I'll stay with her," Haven volunteered.

"I don't know about-"

"Come on, it's your birthday, you're only seventeen once. Go and celebrate with your family. I promise Isabelle will still be sick when you get home and you can by all means take care of her then. Until then, I'll be on vomit duty."

Jack looked over at Evelyn, who had a worried look on her face. He walked back over to the bathroom and knocked on the door again. He heard the whirl of the toilet flushing and Isabelle slowly heading towards him. She opened the door slightly, but kept her back against it so that he couldn't see her.

"I should just stay with you, Isabelle. I want to make-" Jack started.

"No, Jack, just go," she muttered. "Jack, trust me, if you see me like this, you'll never want to kiss me again. So just go out with your family and I'll be fine."

"I don't-"

"You heard the girl, she'll be fine," Bobby said, grabbing his brother by the arm and dragging him away from the bathroom door. "She's got Haven here and I'll even let you call her from the payphone at the restaurant if you want. Let's get going."

Reluctantly, Jack walked out of the house, Bobby ahead of him and Evelyn behind. As soon as the car pulled out of the driveway, Haven walked over to the bathroom door and knocked on it three times. Isabelle pulled it open and stepped out from behind it.

"Coast is clear," Haven said.

"Good, let's get everything ready," Isabelle replied, smiling.

"My goodness, I've never seen it be that hard to convince someone's boyfriend to go out without their girlfriend," she muttered with a laugh.

"That's Jack for you."

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Jack sat in the back of the car, not pouting but not really enjoying himself. He stared out the window looking down at the passing, yellow lines on the asphalt. He only half heard the conversation going on between his mother and Bobby, not really caring to get involved, his mind was too focused on Isabelle. However, Jack did hear the soft tone of Evelyn's beeper as it went off. She grabbed it and looked down into the window ID of it and sighed softly.

"I have to go into the office, they need me to come," Evelyn said. Once they were at a stoplight, she turned back towards Jack and shrugged softly. "I'm sorry, honey, but can we hold off on your birthday celebration until tomorrow?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I want to make sure Isabelle is okay, anyway," Jack said, his spirits brightened a bit.

He thought for a moment, finding it a bit odd that he was happy to cancel his plans to take care of Isabelle on his birthday of all days, but he assumed that was one of the surest signs that he did, indeed love her. He had an urge to put her before himself

Evelyn pulled down the nearest street and turned around, heading back to the Mercer household.

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Jack walked into the house and ran up the stairs to his bedroom. He knocked on the door softly, not wanting to wake Isabelle is she was asleep but also not wanting to invade her space if she wasn't feeling well. There was no reply, so he slowly pushed the door open and peered into the room.

The room was near pitch black except for a stream a light that came in from the outside. He could tell that Isabelle wasn't inside, so he shut the door and head back down the stairs. He was halfway down the steps when he saw Isabelle standing at the bottom of them, a small smile on her lips. He looked at her, realizing that she wasn't sick, and slowly continued his way down the stairs. As soon as he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and looked down into her eyes.

"I thought you were sick," Jack said.

"I lied," she replied. She hung her arms around his neck and leaned up to his collarbone, kissing it softly.

"Lied?" he questioned. "I thought you never lied."

"Only if it's necessary to lie do I do so." She bit down on a fleshy part of his shoulder and laughed against his skin. "And it was absolutely necessary to do so."

Jack's arms tightened around her waist and kissed the top of her head. Isabelle pulled her head away from his neck and looked up into his eyes, raising her eyebrows playfully. Jack gently, leaned into Isabelle, turning her and pushing her up against the wall. His lips attacked hers as his hands roamed her back gently. Isabelle pushed him away slightly, but Jack instantly went back to her again.

"Jack, you have to stop," Isabelle mumbled, halfheartedly.

Groaning slightly, he let go of her and pouted. Isabelle just laughed, shaking her head and walked into the living room. She knew that Jack would follow her so she didn't bother to see if he was. As she sat down on the couch she felt the cushion next to her dip down and Jack's arms wrap around her waist. She reached to the opposite side of her and pulled out a box, wrapped perfectly, and handed it to Jack.

"Happy birthday," she whispered as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks," he said, looking down at it. "It's so perfect I don't want to open it."

"Just tear the paper off," she said.

"There are a ton of things that I am thinking about tearing off right about now but none of them are paper."

Isabelle hit him on the shoulder playfully and sighed, waiting for him to finally open the gift. He looked down at it one more time and ripped it open. He grinned at the gift before him and then looked up at Isabelle in disbelief.

"How the hell did you get these?" Jack asked.

"I have connections," she replied. "It's not a big deal. I mean, they're total lawn seats but I know you like them."

"Like? Belle, I love Chastity."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Isabelle joked.

"Very funny." Jack shook his head and grabbed her waist, pulling her into his lap. He kissed her neck gently, hugging her waist. "I love it."

"Good." She pulled out of his grasp and stood up. "There's more."

"More?"

"Yes, you have three birthday gifts coming to you tonight. So that just leaves two more," she said.

Isabelle grabbed his hand and pulled him into the dinning room. She forced him down into a seat at the head of the table and placed a covered dish in front of him. He eyed it with a worried expression, afraid of what might lurk beneath the cover and then looked over at Isabelle.

"Don't be such a wimp, it's dinner," she replied. She noticed how the look on Jack's face didn't change and she sighed. "I didn't cook it."

"Okay," he replied, pulling the cover off.

"That wasn't rude at all."

"Sorry, Belle, I love you and all, but I really don't want food poisoning on my birthday."

Isabelle laughed, knowing that if she had cooked it probably would have resulted in a late night emergency room visit. She watched him.

"I baked your birthday cake and that turned out all right," Isabelle replied, smiling.

"You baked?" Jack asked, incredulously.

"Okay, Evelyn helped me bake it but I…Shit," Isabelle muttered, standing up and walking out of the room.

"Belle, is something wrong?" Jack asked. He walked into the kitchen and saw her reaching into the drawer and grabbed a knife. "Whoa, no way I am letting you use that. What's wrong?"

"I forgot to finish the cake," she replied. She muttered a few more curses under her breath and reached for the utensil again, but Jack held it above her head. "Come on, Jack, I need to finish."

Jack smiled and grabbed the icing from the countertop behind him. Isabelle reached for it, not in the mood to play games but he just smirked and dipped his finger into it.

"Come on, that's just gross," she muttered, shaking her head.

"It tastes good to me," he replied. He took a step towards her, sticking one solitary finger into the sugary mess and advanced on her. "I think you should try."

Isabelle backed away from him and into the counter. Jack reached out, bringing his hand to her neck and spreading the sticky icing from her cheek to her neck. She laughed and pushed him away. She went to wipe the icing off of her neck, but Jack quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. He pressed his lips to her neck, slowly kissing the sugary paste off of her skin.

"Mmmm," he mumbled into her skin. "So good."

"Jack…"

"You want me to stop?" he asked softly, pulling away and facing her.

Isabelle shook her head softly as she stuck her hand into the icing, unbeknownst to Jack. She smiled at him, planting a soft kiss on his lips. As she pulled away she ran her icing covered finger across his neck and over a small part of his chest that his shirt left exposed. He looked down at her surprised and she just laughed with an innocent but seductive smile.

"I wanted to taste it," she explained. She pressed her mouth against his neck, licking at the icing. "Even though it's your birthday, why should you have all the fun?"

"It's still quite fun for me."

Isabelle kissed his neck, leading down to his chest. Jack moaned gutturally, tightening his grip on her waist. She smiled at the sound of his pleasure and continued to kiss him until all visible traces of the sweetness were gone. Isabelle looked up at Jack, noticing a small amount of icing on the bottom of his lip. She leaned up and kissed him intensely. He returned the kiss eagerly, making Isabelle weak in the knees.

"I got you," Jack whispered, noticing Isabelle's weakened state. "I'm not going to let you go. Not now, not ever."

Isabelle gently pulled out of Jack's grasp and reached for his hand. She led him up the stairs to their room. As soon as the door shut behind them, Isabelle dropped his hand and walked over to the bed. He stood by the door as she sat down and stared up at him, patting the area next to her.

"Sit?" she suggested, sliding her shoes off.

"Sure," he replied, slowly walking over to her. He sat down on the bed and she instantly started to kiss his neck. "Belle…"

"Jack…" she retorted, playfully.

Giving in, Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly laid her down on the bed. She smiled without removing her lips from his neck. Jack moved slightly, sliding his leg in between hers so that he could balance himself while hovering over her. Isabelle murmured something that Jack couldn't make out and moved away from his neck to look up at him.

"Is something wrong?" Jack asked, a bit out of breath.

"Something's shoved against my back," she replied, leaning upward so that Jack could remove his hands.

As soon as Isabelle saw what was pressed against her back she started to laugh and buried her face upwards in Jack's chest. Jack looked down at his hand, the container of icing still in his grasp.

"We're never going to have a normal moment, are we?" Jack asked.

Isabelle shook her head and kissed him gently as she crept her hand down his arm and grabbed the container from him. As she pulled away she looked down at the icing and smiled. She dipped her finger into it, slowly swirled it around and then brought it up to Jack's lips. As he went to close his mouth around her finger, she pulled it away and shook her head, then ran her finger across his lips, covering them in icing. She brought him down to her and started to kiss him softly, gently sucking on his bottom lip.

"Do I get a turn?" Jack asked, when she had released his lip.

Shrugging slightly, Isabelle laid back onto the bed and waited for Jack's body to come down to hers. Slowly, almost in a teasing fashion, Jack leaned down towards her. He placed his fingers into the icing, less graceful than Isabelle, and then brought them down to her neck, leaving a trail of sweetness on it as his fingers ran along her soft skin. Jack pressed his lips to her skin, eagerly kissing away the sticky substance. Isabelle dropped the container onto the floor as she began to relax against his touch. Jack let his hands roam against the front of her shirt, carefully touching her in a sensual way. She let out a small moan and locked one of her legs around Jack's.

"Do you want me to stop?" Jack asked, placing his hand beneath the fabric of her shirt.

"Yes," she replied, with her eyes still closed and her leg wrapped around his. "I need you to..."

"Okay," he replied, eyeing her. He started to sit up but found his leg still entangled with Isabelle's. "Babe, you got to let me go if you want me to stop."

"You didn't let me finish," she said. She was looking up at him and sat up quickly, rolled over and pinned him to the bed. She leaned down to kiss him and sighed. "What I was trying to say is that I need you to stop so that I can lock the door."

"My door doesn't have a lock on it, remember?" Isabelle got off of Jack and walked over to the bedroom and turned the lock. Jack smirked and watched her walk back towards the bed. "My birthday gift?"

"Part of it, yes," she replied. She climbed on top of him and smiled, kissing his lips gently and running her hand down his chest. "I thought we might need some privacy. Damn Bobby's always interrupting us."

"Are you the other part of my birthday present?"

"Possibly," she replied. "But I'm certainly not the next part."

"So you're just teasing me?"

"I'm not teasing. I'm tempting. You think I don't want you just as bad?" she asked, kissing his collarbone.

"Tempting?" he questioned. "So, say I was to tempt you by doing this…" Jack flipped her over onto the mattress, kissing her neck and letting his hands skim across the hem of her skirt. "Does that mean you'd be equally tempted and give in?"

"Maybe," she whispered.

Jack smirked and kissed Isabelle passionately. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. She laughed softly and looked up into his eyes like she was searching for something. It was the first time someone has so unflinchingly looked into him. He didn't feel uneasy like he always thought he would, instead he felt comfort and love emanating from Isabelle's eyes.

"I love you, Mercer," Isabelle whispered, never looking away from him.

"I love you, too, Belle," he replied, his voice low and soft. He brushed his hand against her face, pushing pieces of hair that obscured his view of her. "It feels like our first time again, doesn't it?"

"I made you wait long enough."

"I'd wait forever if I had to," he replied, sincerely. "Granted, it wouldn't be my first choice, but I would wait."

Isabelle laughed, loving the break in the somewhat tense air about them. She took his hand in her own and pulled it away from the bottom of her skirt, placing it instead on her shirt. She pressed his hand against the area just below her chest and then let his hand go, silently giving him permission to do as he pleased.

Slowly, never taking his eyes off of Isabelle's face, Jack slid his down and underneath the fabric of her shirt. She kept her eyes open despite the urge to close them and become immersed in the feeling taking over her body. Jack's hand slid over her breast, resting there for a moment and he leaned down to kiss her, pulling her shirt off of her stomach and chest as he did so. As he pulled away from her, he got her shirt off over her head. Isabelle merely smiled and pressed her chest against Jack's. Reluctant to let her go, Jack softly set Isabelle on the bed and pulled away from her slightly as she started to work on the buttons of his shirt. Eager and impatient, Jack began to help her with them and then whipped the shirt off, throwing it to the floor.

"Slow down rock star," Isabelle whispered, kissing his earlobe.

"It's hard to do when you do that," Jack replied. He slipped Isabelle's skirt off her waist and kicked it off the bed. "It's hard when it's you."

"In more ways than one," she joked, laughing softly.

Jack growled ferally and kissed her neck as she reached down for the button on his jeans. She undid it and the zipper, then slid the pants off of him so that the both of them were clad only in their under garments. Jack pushed the strap away from Isabelle's shoulder and quickly replaced the fabric with his lips, leaving lingering kisses on her shoulder and chest. Isabelle ran her hands through his hair, closing her eyes as Jack's kisses against her skin become more intense.

"You're sure about this, right?" Jack asked, pulling away slightly and breathing heavily. "I mean, you're not just doing this for my birthday, are you?"

"No, Jack, I really want this," she assured him. She grabbed the blanket that had fallen off to the side and pulled it around the two of them. "I trust you. I want to be with you again."

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Thank You:**

**BigAmericanFlirt (No closet sex, but I think this kind of makes up for it!)  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (Okay, D is not my answer...I feel like I am taking a multiple choice Scantron test. Btw, "plastic friends of the police.." eh? Hmm...My mind is pretty warped by that image.)  
i run with scissors  
Shining Star of Valinor (Project cake sex...What did you think?)  
Trizzy  
Verona Sage**

**A/N: I will try to update by Wednesday but if I don't, expect another chapter by Saturday/Sunday. Thursday is graduation (yay) and so I'm going to busy Thurs/Fri but I promise not to forget to work on it.**

And this is random, but I am a movie freak and I say everyone must go see The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift! Not only does it star the second hottest guy in "Friday Night Lights," also know as Lucas Black, but it's got hot cars...Seriously, is there a better combination than a hot guy with a hot accentand hot cars (Mazda RX7 and tricked out with Veilside products gear...Hell yes!)?


	29. Happy Birthnight

Isabelle woke up in the middle of the night to find Jack gently stroking her bare back. His fingers would slide down her smooth skin and then crawl back up it, only to repeat the process again. She smiled as she turned to face him, startling him slightly.

"It's late, you should be asleep," Jack whispered, concerned.

"I'm not tired anymore," she replied, clutching the blanket to her chest and sitting up. "Besides, I said you had you three birthday gifts and you only got two."

"Two? The tickets, the dinner and you," he replied, kissing her neck. "That's three…Well, technically four since that last one counts as two…" he added suggestively.

"One and a half," she replied, jokingly. Jack's jaw dropped open in mock horror and Isabelle laughed, hitting him on the shoulder softly. "Besides, it was never planned, it just sort of happened."

Isabelle slid off of the bed, bringing the blanket with her, leaving Jack with only the sheet covering him. He watched her walk over to the closet and then drop to her knees as she pulled it open. She rummaged through the messy closet before finally pulling out an unwrapped box. She held it underneath her arm and headed back towards the bed, placing it beside Jack as she climbed onto the bed.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Open it and see," Isabelle replied. She rested her back against the headboard and watched his eyes as he took the top of the box off and exposed a photo album inside. "It's lame and clichéd or whatever, but I thought it was something that would give you a somewhat normal childhood moment."

Jack smiled and turned the pages of the book. Evelyn must have helped because there were pictures from his childhood that she had taken. Isabelle leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder as he looked through the book. Pictures of Jack all in time order were revealed in front of them and he smiled softly, remembering the days the pictures represented. He flipped past a few more pages and landed on pictures that he didn't even know existed. They were recent, some even with Isabelle in them.

"I don't know how ma took these pictures," Jack said.

"Neither do I," she replied.

Turning to the page before the last, Jack saw a picture of him and Isabelle, laying on the couch sound asleep. He smiled and placed his finger on it.

"I love that one," he whispered, looking up at her. "It's definitely my favorite."

"I wasn't sure if I should put that in."

"I'm glad you did. You're part of my family, of course," he replied. He turned towards her and kissed the side of her neck. "Thank you so much."

"Not a problem. But you never looked at the last page."J

Jack flipped to the last page. A young woman sat in a rocking chair holding a small, crying baby. The woman's long dirty blonde hair hung down in front of her face and blue-green eyes shone out from behind the curtain of hair.

"Who's that?"

"You and your mother," she answered. "Evelyn wanted me to put it in there to show you that your mother loved you. It came with your file."

Angrily, Jack closed the book and shoved it underneath the bed. He felt bad for the way he acted over the gift Isabelle had obviously worked hard on. She tried not to let it show and just smiled awkwardly as he turned his face towards hers.

"She's not my mother, Belle, she gave me up," Jack replied, his eyes glazed over.

"She didn't have a choice, she knew what was best for you," Isabelle said. She pressed her hand to Jack's face, gently running her thumb over his furrowed eyebrow. "She did the right thing. She couldn't have raised you properly."

"And the people who did raise me raised me properly, Isabelle?"

"I'm not saying that." She wrapped her arms around herself and bit her lip with worry. "I'm not trying to condone anything that happened in your past, you know that if I could I would take away all your pain. Evelyn just thought it would be a good idea to show you who you came from and I agreed. I'm sorry."

"No, don't apologize," Jack replied. "It's a wonderful book, I love it, I just don't want to know about her. Evelyn's always been enough and I don't want someone who hasn't been there to ever take a part of her importance to me away," Jack explained.

Jack looked down at Isabelle, smiling softly, and gently nipped the part of her lip she wasn't chewing on. He was trying to lighten the mood in the room, but he could tell that Isabelle was upset by the incident. She was just trying to help him fill him in on his past and, admittedly, he reacted badly, but he didn't know how else to react. He hated to know that Evelyn wasn't his birth mother because in every other way, she was his mom. She was the only person who had raised him with love and he hated when it was pointed out that it wasn't real. However, he knew that's not what Isabelle was trying to do. Her intentions were pure.

"You know, I love your book, but I noticed something was missing," Jack said.

"What was that?" she questioned.

"Scantily clad pictures of you," he replied, shifting his body so that he was on top of her, the sheet covering the backside of him.

"That is a book that you should keep to show your kids when you get older. It's a memento of love and hope and faith, not of lust," she said, shaking her head. "Besides, you know I am too much of a good girl."

"Yeah, you're a _real good girl_," he whispered into her ear, slowly kissing her skin down her neck.

"Jack, stop," Isabelle said.

"Why? No one can come in here. Plus, no one else is awake," he coaxed.

"Just a little bit, I don't want to wake up anyone in the house."

Jack triumphantly smiled and slowly lowered the blanket from Isabelle's chest to her waist, leaving their tops halves bare and pressed against one another. Gently, Jack assaulted Isabelle's neck in a rush of kisses from her jaw line to her collarbone. She gasped slightly as he would bite down on her flesh every once and a while.

"You make the most amazing sounds," Jack said, tenderly. He felt Isabelle's hand bury deep in his hair. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Isabelle replied.

A loud banging rapped upon the wall beside the bed causing Jack to pull away from Isabelle. He looked over at the wall, waiting for it to rattle again, but instead came the voice of h is eldest brother.

"Would you two please shut the fuck up?" Bobby yelled. "Some people are trying to sleep here and all they can hear is bad dialogue from a fuckin' chick flick."

Jack laughed softly, collapsing flat on Isabelle and rolling over to the side of the bed furthest from the wall. Smirking uncharacteristically of Isabelle, she banged her fist against the wall.

"Would you rather a skin flick, Bobby?" she questioned. Isabelle looked back at Jack and opened her mouth, letting out a loud, overdramatic squeal of pleasure. "Oh, yes, Jack…Ohhh…"

"Yeah right, like I'd ever believe that. You really wanna scream like that, little girl, come on over to this side of the wall. I'll show you a fuckin' good time," Bobby muttered loud enough for them to hear.

"You wish," Jack replied, wrapping his arms around Isabelle. It was instinctive to do that even though Bobby couldn't see them. "We all know you wanna get with Belle, but it ain't ever gonna happen."

"Izzy, why ya gonna be with the wannabe rock star when you can be with a genuine bad boy?"

"Because the wannabe rock star has something you ain't ever gonna have," she replied.

"A positive STD test?"

"The most amazing ability-"

"Nah, man, I don't wanna hear it."

Isabelle laughed and rested her head on Jack's shoulder. He leaned down to kiss the top of her head as she sighed, settling in on the bed. A loud, sudden moan sounded throughout the rooms and Bobby pounded against the wall again.

"I really don't need the fuckin' soundtrack to your sex life," he muttered angrily.

"It ain't us," Jack replied, as another loud scream sounded through the halls.

"Fuck, when did La Vida Loca and Angel come home?"

Trying to muffle laugh, Isabelle brought the blanket up to her head and rolled over, burying her face in Jack's chest. Bobby groaned loudly and the footsteps leading out of his room sounded through the hallway as he walked to Angel's room. He pounded on the door loudly but the noise didn't cease.

"Nice fuckin' way to tell us your home, Angel," Bobby said. "Can you please shut her up before you wake ma up?"

"Shut up, Bobby. You're just jealous that you're the only one not gettin' any," Angel retorted. "Besides, ma ain't even home. She was leaving as I got here."

"So that gives you the right to bring that slut home? Damn, Angel, you never know what the fuck you're gonna catch with her…"

Bobby couldn't get anymore words out before a loud and angry Sofi started yelling obscenities at him in Spanish. Isabelle shook her head and slowly climbed on top of Jack, leaning down to brush her lips against his.

"Well, it was a good birthday while the quiet lasted," Jack said, his hands innocently resting in the small of her back.

"I think I might make it even better," Isabelle replied. "Think about it, Jack, who's going to hear us over the three of them fighting? Perfect timing to make that little one and a half become a full-fledged two…Possibly three."

"I knew there was a reason to date a smart girl."

The cursing and yelling continued as Jack carefully climbed on top of Isabelle and began to kiss her. As Bobby commented about Sofi not being 'house trained' Jack removed the sheet that remained between Isabelle and him, both of them trying not to laugh and ruin the moment.

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**A/N: I am so sorry it took so long to update, I know I promised to have it up sooner but I had a bit of writer's block and a lack of time to spend working on my writing...Sorry!**

**Thank You:  
aragornsgirll (Wow, so many reviews in such a little time...Thank you so much for reading the story!)  
Bigamericanflirt  
cujo  
Iluvgarretthedlund (Sorry it took me so long for the last chapter...As well as this one!)  
i run with scissors (I want him for my birthday too! Lol, if only we lived in a world where it was possible...hehehe. Also, thank you for the good luck for graduation...I'm just surprised I didn't fall in front of everyone because of the evil high heels!)  
Shining Star of Valinor (LMAO...So funny, laughed so hard reading your review...I am so glad that I didn't disappoint you with my vision of your idea...It was a great idea, btw...lol. Btw, needed to mention your little "HINT HINT" in the review...When are you updating your story? I want to read more!)  
Trizzy **

**Please Review!**


	30. The Return

"What are you writing?" Isabelle asked, glancing across the table.

"Algebra equations," Jack replied, distractedly. He continued to glide his pen across the paper effortless, his eyebrows furrowed together as his eyes read over the paper.

"Interesting…You don't take algebra," she said.

"It's real hard," he continued as if he hadn't heard what she said.

Isabelle stood up and walked over to his side of the table. As soon as she was near him, he covered his notebook with his arms and looked up at her with a small smile on his face. She was instantly suspicious. She tried to pull his arms away from the paper but he resisted her effort.

"Fine, be that way," Isabelle said, letting go of him and turned around, heading towards the living room. "I was going to give you something much better to hold onto but if-"

A sudden force swung Isabelle back towards Jack. His arm was wrapped around her arm and pulled her into his lip, facing him so that the notebook was behind her. He let both of his arms wrap around her waist, keeping her attached to him. She laughed and leaned down to kiss his neck.

"What were you talking about that would be better to hold onto?" Jack questioned.

With a small smirk Isabelle grabbed Jack's hand and lead it up her stomach slowly, leaving it just below her chest. She raised her eyebrows as if to ask if he understood. It was apparent that he did. As Jack gently let his fingers roam her body and his lips kiss her neck, Isabelle reached behind her, groping the table for Jack's notebook. She had gotten a hold of it when Jack bit down on her neck, startling her and causing her to push it away. She groaned and Jack pulled away from her.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, just startled me, baby," she replied. "It felt good though."

Jack took that as encouragement to continue. Isabelle slowly leaned backwards towards the table and his body followed with hers. The edge of the table pressed harshly into her back and her hand roamed the table for the notebook. She grabbed it, holding it to her back. She pressed her body against Jack's, forcing him to move so that his back rested in his chair.

"Do you want to continue this upstairs?" Jack asked, grinning.

"Hmm, maybe," she replied. She stood up and smirked, turning away from him.

As Jack stood up he wrapped his arms around her waist. She was reading the words on the notebook and as soon as Jack heard the rustling her knew what she was doing. He reached for the book but Isabelle kept it out of his grasp and started to read the words aloud.

"_As he raises his hand you begin to understand/ That no love is worth the hate that you feel/ Now you're running out of pain/ And all these feelings feel the same/ So you close your eyes and wish it all away.."_

Isabelle turned around to face Jack. He went to say something but she waved her hand dismissively and continued.

_"And I lie awake and I try to say/ Anything I know just to ease your pain/ But you hide away where no one can see/ And it's only you that can set you free…Now the time has come again/ So you reach deep down within/ To find the strength that you have buried there/ When you turn to walk away you can still hear him say/ You'll never make it in this world alone…"_

Isabelle looked up at Jack and she could tell that he was frightened as he awaited her reaction. She took a step closer to him and grabbed his arms, making him wrap them around her waist. She stood on the tips of her toes, gently kissing the tip of his nose and smiling.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"You're not mad?" he questioned.

"No," she replied. She smiled and pushed him down into the chair. "I loved it."

"You loved it?"

"I loved it," she assured him. She sat down in his lap, facing him and gently kissed his neck, as he pressed his body against hers. "It was…Honest."

"Well, there's more," Jack said, happy with the response.

"Yeah? Would you play it for me?"

"Well, you are quite convincing."

"Now, am I?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. She moved in Jack's lap and pushed him back against the chair.

"And aggressive."

"Do you like aggressive?" she questioned.

"Right now, I'm all for it."

Isabelle smiled and shoved her body towards his again. She unfortunately slammed herself against him a bit too hard and caused the chair to crash to the floor. Jack's back hit the floor with only the thin wood of the chair between him and the cold, tile floor. Isabelle laughed and awkwardly tried to climb off but Jack's arms wrapped around her waist.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked. He maneuvered himself off of the chair and rolled onto top of her.

"Jack…" Isabelle said, her voice drifting off. She was glancing over his shoulder and her eyes went cold. She pushed Jack off of her slightly. "Jack get off me."

Looking over his shoulder Jack saw a girl only slightly older than Isabelle and himself, something familiar about her sparked his interest. He stood up and then held his hand out to Isabelle, helping her off of the ground. As soon as she on her feet she lifted the chair from the ground and walked over to the lady, standing a few feet away from her. Jack was quick to join her there, sensing the uneasiness in the room.

"What are you doing here?" Isabelle asked.

"I was informed about the emancipation you were attempting to receive because they wanted references, I guess, to see if you were mature enough to go through with it," the lady said.

"So you felt obligated to-"

"I didn't feel obligated to do anything, I wanted to come and see my little sister."

"I'm not your sister," Isabelle replied angrily. She grabbed Jack's hand and trying to pull him along with her. "Didn't you hear? Mr. Leary's not my father, he's just a man who molested me, Jane."

Isabelle started to walk out of the kitchen, Jack being dragged behind her, but was blocked by Evelyn who stood in the doorway. Sighing, Isabelle turned back around and dropped Jack's hand, wrapping her arms around her body. Jack looked over at his mother, whose face was cast down on the floor.

"Isabelle, I didn't know, I swear I didn't," Jane said.

"I really don't care," she replied.

"Isabelle, I think you should hear your sister out," Evelyn said. "She did come all the way here to see you."

Both Jack and Isabelle turned to face her, similar looks of surprise on their faces. Isabelle bit her lip softly and nodded. Evelyn reached over and grabbed her son's shoulder and tried to get him to leave the room but he refused to move. Taking notice of this, Isabelle nodded towards him.

"Jack, leave me and Jane alone for a minute. You know I'll talk to you about it later," Isabelle said. She walked over to him and kissed him softly, grinning unsurely as she pulled away. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Just call me if you need anything."

"I will."

Jack exited the kitchen with his mother as Isabelle and her sister took seats opposite one another at the table. Jack tried not to hear the conversation, but it was hard not from where he was in the living room. He could hear that pain in Isabelle's voice as she told her sister of the horrors she had faced alone and the tears that escaped despite her effort to keep them away. There was nothing more Jack wanted to do than get up and walk into the kitchen, grabbing Isabelle's arm and dragging her with him away from Jane. He knew better than to do that, though.

"I'm going to go upstairs," Jack said, quickly standing up and running up the steps.

It was another half an hour at least until Isabelle walked into Jack's room. He was lying on his bed, his feet hanging off the end of it and his shirt exposing some of his stomach. She smiled at the sight, unbeknownst to him due to the headphone blaring some loud, angry rock music into his eardrums.

Isabelle crept over to the bed and pounced on top of him. He sat up quickly, nearly knocking her off of him, luckily his arm instinctively wrapped around her to waist to keep her from ending up on the floor. She laughed, resting her head on his chest, feeling the hard pounding of his heart against the walls of his chest.

"Did I scare you?" she asked, sliding the headphones off of his head for him.

"A bit," he admitted. He kissed the top of her head and gingerly pressed his hand to her forehead, smiling down at her. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I hope so."

"Well, what did you talk about?"

"Stuff, my past, why she left," she replied. "She was pregnant, she knew dad…Mr. Leary would have a fit or make her get rid of him so she left. I can't blame her for that. If I ever had a kid I wouldn't want him near that man."

"So you forgive her?"

"She had maternal instinct to protect her baby, granted, I'm still angry she never kept in contact with but I can't be mad at her situation. It's not her fault. Besides, he was messing her up more than I had realized."

"He was touching her too?"

"No, it was more like emotional abuse." Isabelle shook her head and sighed. "I don't want to talk about sad stuff right now, I want to be happy."

"Okay, what do we suggest we do then?"

Jack's hands crawled down Isabelle's back and slid beneath the fabric of her shirt. As he bent down to kiss her his hands reached the strap of her bra and began to work on getting it off. Isabelle sat up quickly, laughing.

"Not that, rock star, my sister and your mother are downstairs. It's more than a bit icky to do that now. Later, though…" She ran her hand along his cheek and positioned herself over his legs, straddling them comfortably. "I think we should go out. Just you and I. Go on that date that I promised you but never actually went on. What do you say?"

"Sure, when."

"Now," she said.

Jumping off the bed, Isabelle grabbed Jack's hand and pulled him to his feet. His body slammed into hers and she smiled, wrapping an arm around his waist to keep herself from falling. Jack looked down at Isabelle, saw the smile that spread across her entire face so that even the remnants of sadness from her slightly red eyes was forgotten about. She was happy and she was beautiful, and Jack knew that it wouldn't last. He knew that something was creeping beneath the surface.

"What's wrong?" he questioned, looking down into her eyes.

"Because I'm happy something has to be wrong?" Isabelle shook her head and dropped her grip on his waist, heading towards the door, her back to him. "My God, Jack, you're absolutely unbelievable."

"Something is wrong."

"Nothing is wrong!" she yelled. She turned around to face him. "At least not for me."

"Meaning?"

"I wanted to tell you at a better place than this."

"Tell me what, Belle?" he asked.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
A/N: I decided to be evil and post the rest of this chapter as a separate chapter. I will post the rest of this once I get 4 reviews...I'm not asking a lot, am I? They don't even have to be good reviews, just reviews...One word would be sufficient.**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt  
Brandy 2009  
goldfishlover26  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (Lol, hysterical as usual...Thanks for all the up-to-date reviews. OMG, go see "Pirates" if you can...Woo, so good! And even though I know you're a Johnny Depp fan and yes, he was hot in this movie Orlando Bloom stole it for me...Weird ass comment of the moment, Mr. Bloom has a really nice back...lol.)  
i run with scissors (hahah, omg I would die of embarrassment in that were my mother at graduation. Something similar happened to my friend but her mother scared the principal and she was allowed to walk.)  
Shining Star of Valinor (Wow, no please don't die and come back to life, 'tis a bit creepy. lol. I have to reccommend something to you and don't take this in the wrong way, it's not meant to offend. Have you ever heard a song called "Date Rape" by Sublime...I am pretty sure you would find it vastly enjoyable. Here are some lyrics that just remind me so much of your suggestions for what should happen to Mr. Leary..."That night in jail it was getting late/ He was butt-raped by a large inmate, and he screamed/ But the guards paid no attention to his cries/ Thats when things got out of control/ The moral of the date rape story, it does not pay to be drunk and horny/ But thats the way it had to be/ They locked him up and threw away the key/ Well, I cant take pity on men of his kind/ Even though he now takes it in the behind")****  
Trizzy**

**The song Jack wrote is a portion of "Running Out of Pain" by 12 Stones...I felt I should probably put the song that the story is named after in here. It's a great song, everyone should listen to it at least once. **

Please review! Remember only 4 and I will update!


	31. Faith In Us

"You are not taking her away from me!" Jack yelled, running down the stairs.

"I'm not taking her away from you, Jack," Jane said, standing up. She met him halfway in the hallway and looked at him sympathetically. "It was a suggestion and it was her decision to go with me to Grand Haven. I would never forced her to do anything."

"Then you guilted her into it, she wouldn't just leave me unless you did something that made her think that she had to," he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Tell her you want to stay, Belle."

Realization hit Jack when he turned to face Isabelle. Her eyes were cast down on the ground, her arms wrapped around herself tightly. He was looking intently at her, trying to get her to glance back at him admit to him what he wanted to hear her say it. He needed to hear her say it. She, however, wasn't going to say anything unless asked, fearful of making the hole she was already in bigger.

"Tell her…"

"Jack, maybe you two should talk about this later," Evelyn suggested.

"I want to go," she admitted, meekly. She looked up at him and grew bolder, he could see the change in her eyes. "I was going to tell you upstairs, but you didn't let me finish, Jack."

"No," Jack muttered, shaking his head. He placed his hands on either side of Isabelle's face and kissed her softly, as if he was trying to convince her that it wasn't what she wanted. "Please don't."

"Jack…"

"Just give me one night to convince you. That's all I ask…Just one night."

Isabelle nodded softly. She felt like she was being torn apart on the inside. Jack kissed her once more and then hurried off, he wanted to make sure everything was perfect. He wasn't going to lose Isabelle without a fight. He ran up the stairs and walked past Bobby's room when a voice called out to him. Bobby stood in the open doorway, shaking his head.

"What?" Jack snapped, not wanting to deal with his brother at that moment.

"You're being selfish," Bobby replied.

"Coming from you that means a hell of a lot," he muttered in return. "You come home only when you need something and leave when your ass is trouble. No regards to ma or me or anybody, that's selfish. I'm trying to stop Isabelle from leaving. She's safe here."

"But she'd have a real family with her sister."

"What would you know a-"

"While you were sittin' in your room with your headphones I caught some of the discussion Izzy and her sister were having. Apparently Jane's in a good situation. She's got a son, a husband, pardon the fact that she's only twenty-one, because she can give Izzy so much more than we can, ma included."

"I love Isabelle."

"And you're a fuckin' foolish kid. Love is fleetin', family is forever."

"Yeah, that's why you and I both were abandoned by ours, Bobby. Why Belle's mother left her and her father attacked her…Because having a family is so important."

"And I know you think your concept of teenage love is enough to keep Isabelle safe, but it's not. Izzy needs her sister, Jack."

"Don't tell me what my girlfriend needs because you have no idea," Jack replied, angrily. He went to walk away when he heard Bobby call out to him. "What?"

"She's like my little sister, you really think I don't want what's best for her? I am givin' an unbiased view on this. I see that ya love her, but she needs more than that. She ain't like us, she needs more than just ma."

"I think I have a better idea of what she needs that you or Jane does."

"But do you know what she needs more than she does? She said she wanted to leave afterall."

"Just because you're miserable doesn't mean I have to be," Jack muttered, glaring at Bobby.

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"Belle, come down here for a moment," Jack called out.

Isabelle stuck her head out of the bedroom and saw Jack standing in the middle of the staircase. She started to walk out of the room and noticed what he was wearing. He was trying to hard, she had decided, his hair was perfectly quaffed in a preppy manner and for one his clothes weren't ripped or pain splatter.

"Is this a joke?" she asked, trying not to laugh.

"No," he replied, shaking his head. He grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs. "I told you to give me one night."

"And you choose to dress like that when trying to impress me?" she questioned.

They had reached the bottom of the steps and Jack wrapped his arm around Isabelle's waist, pulling her tightly against him. She smiled as he pressed his lips to her neck and gently swayed their bodies side to side, dancing to imaginary music in Jack's head. He placed his free hand over her eyes and led her through the kitchen to the tiny backyard. Isabelle asked no further questions, just let him have his way.

As she felt the cool night air brush across her skin she let out a small sigh of contentment and snuggled closer to Jack. He smirked at her reaction, she did need him, he thought. He removed his hand from her eyes, but kept his other one of her waist. He smiled happily at the sight of the tiny backyard lit up and a blanket on the grass with settings for the two of them.

"A night picnic in Detroit," she remarked, still grinning. "Something I have yet to experience."

"Good."

Jack smiled genuinely and reluctantly pulled away from her. The two of them sat down on opposite sides of the blanket and Jack began to lay things out between them. Isabelle seemed disinterested in what Jack was doing and stared up at the stars, trying to see them through the smoggy, polluted night sky.

"Is something wrong?" Jack questioned.

"No," she replied, shaking her head. She looked down at the spread before and smiled weakly. "I'm not hungry."

"Now I know something is wrong," he replied. He crawled over to her side of the blanket and wrapped his arms around her, cradling her to his chest. "I love you."

"I know you do and I love you, too. That's what makes it so hard," Isabelle whispered.

"I don't have a chance of you staying, do I?" he asked, understanding what she meant.

"No," she admitted, shaking her head. "Jack, I-"

"It's for the best, right?"

"Yes."

Jack sighed, looking over at the side of the house but keeping his grip on Isabelle. He didn't know what to say as the conversation that he and Bobby had earlier replayed in his head. Maybe he was being selfish, he didn't know everything. The one thing that he did know was that he loved her but he was beginning to realize that that alone wouldn't keep her safe or happy. She wasn't like the rest of them, she needed a real family, not just Evelyn, Bobby and himself.

"I don't want you to go," Jack whispered, kissing the base of her neck. "But I understand."

Isabelle let out the breath she had been unknowingly holding in awaiting Jack's response. She rested her head against his chest, comfortable in his arms for the time being. There was a silence between the time of them so intense that even the honking of the horns and the screech of tires pulling away in night weren't heard by them.

"Jack?" Isabelle whispered, craning her neck to look up at him. "I was thinking-"

"Don't even finish that sentence," he said, shaking his head.

"How do you know what I am going to say?"

"I know you, Belle. You're going to tell me, that if I want we can see other people. Well, I don't want that, I want you. Grand Haven is only three hours from Detroit, we can deal with that."

"You have a lot of faith in us," Isabelle remarked.

"Because you had a lot of faith in me."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**A/N: I know it's short, but it's what I have. Also, sorry, I know I promised to post after 4 reviews, but I didn't realize how fast those 4 reviews would come in.**

**Thank You:**

**4everdreaming  
aragornsgirll (Bobby just likes Izzy as asister, not in any other way...That would illegal...lol.)  
Bigamericanflirt (Not pregnant...lol.)  
EbonyRose02  
ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr (I have no words.)  
jsweetie79  
Trizzy**


	32. See You Later, Not Goodbye

One Week Later...

Isabelle sat down on the edge of the bed, watching Jack get dressed. He noticed her sitting there, smiling and staring at him in the reflection of the mirror. He turned towards her, a grin spread across his face. She didn't look away, a confidence she was just beginning to form taking her over.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

"Watching you change," she replied, shamelessly. Jack gave her an odd look and she just laughed. "You should be happy that I like to see you naked in daylight. It means you must have something to be proud of."

Jack smirked and walked over to her, clad only in his jeans. He knelt down in front of her, leaning his body towards hers and kissing her neck. Isabelle made a soft, pleasant sound and laid back on the bed, Jack following with her. He felt her hands slid between two of them, running them against his chest until she reached the waistband of his jeans and started to undo the button. Jack pulled away, shaking his head slightly.

"We can't," he said.

"Yes, we can. We have enough time," she said.

"I mean we shouldn't." he replied. "I think that if we do it will be too much like saying goodbye, I don't want that. It's not an end, just an obstacle."

"How the hell did I find someone like you, Jack?" Isabelle questioned. She kissed him softly and then pulled away, settling on the bed as Jack rolled over to the side of her. "Three months before I am going to see you again and you don't want to have sex."

Laughing softly, Jack stood up and walked over to Isabelle's side of the bed. He held his hand out and grabbed hers, pulling her up and into his arms. She rested her head against his chest, inhaling his scent and kissing his clothed shoulder. He held her tightly, not wanting to let her go. He knew that it seemed odd that it was the last hour his girlfriend would be in his arms for three months and he didn't want to have sex, but he had his reasons. He felt that if he gave into it, it might be like they were saying _goodbye_ and not _see you later._ It was his worst fear to lose her and here they were, it could come true, so he wanted to limit the chances of it happening. Not that it made sense to anyone else, he wasn't even sure if his theory made sense to himself.

"You're being all introverted, that's my job," Isabelle said, looking up at him.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," he replied. He kissed her softly and then quickly deepening it to the point that if he didn't pull away, they would end up doing exactly what he didn't want. "I love you, Belle."

"I love you, too, Jack," she replied, lightheartedly. "You know Haven got the biggest kick out of the fact that I was moving to a place called Grand Haven. She said it was just further more proof that she is amazing."

"She already told me that because you were leaving I was now her honorary best friend and that my obligation as best friend to is to keep her up to date on you and that her obligation was to be my stand-in girlfriend and keep all the girls away from me…Not that I would do anything."

Isabelle smiled, it was the only thing to keep her from crying. She knew that it had been her decision to leave and she also knew it was the right one, but she couldn't help but feel like a part of her was being left behind here with Jack. She sighed and pulled out of his grasp and grabbed her bag off of the floor, then felt Jack tug it away from her.

"Let me get it," he said.

"Trying to show off?" she questioned.

"Who am I trying to impress?"

"True."

The two of them trudged down the stairs and slowly, Evelyn and Jane came into the picture. They were standing off to the side of the staircase. Evelyn was smiling sadly, she was happy for Isabelle and Jane but sad for her son, she knew his heart was breaking. As they set foot on the floor, Jack put the duffel bag down and walked over to Jane.

"Make sure she doesn't get into trouble," Jack said. "She's an undercover wild girl at heart."

"I'll make sure," Jane said, smiling. She reached out and grabbed Jack's hand gently. "Thank you for taking care of her, Jack. She wouldn't be okay if it wasn't for you."

Jack nodded and turned towards his mother. He was biting his lip, his eyes were stinging and the familiar lump in his throat formed as he tried hard not to cry. Evelyn patted him on the back and made her way over to Isabelle. She took the girl in an embrace and squeezed her tightly. As she pulled away she placed her hands on Isabelle's shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"You keep safe, you hear me? If you ever need anything just call me, no matter what the time is. Even if everything is okay I want to hear from you," Evelyn said. She shook her head and smiled. "My God, I can't believe you're the same girl who Jack first brought home. I can't believe he's the same boy. You've changed him."

"I hope it was a good change."

"You and Jack both evolved for the better." Evelyn pulled Isabelle into another hug and sighed as she let go. "Remember if you need anything…"

"I will…Ma."

Evelyn smiled at the sound of that, after months of her living there she finally felt like she was part of the family and now she was leaving. Bobby was standing in the doorway by the kitchen, he wasn't one for goodbyes. He nodded from where he stood and Isabelle knew what it meant, there was no code easier to decipher than the emotions of Bobby Mercer. They usually ran from mad to furious to murderous, but this was lighter and it wasn't any of them, it was a simple goodbye and I'll miss you. Bobby wasn't one for words.

Isabelle smiled and turned towards Jack, no longer able to put off the inevitable. She walked over to him and instantly, the two of them wrapped their arms around each other. Jack kissed her gently, not bothering to notice the other people in the room. He pulled away slightly and pressed his forehead to hers, looking down into her eyes.

"There's really no way to convince you to stay?" he asked.

"No," she replied. She kissed him sweetly and then loosened her grip on his waist. "It's a better school system and it's a better town for me, but you were a real temptation to stay here."

"I love you…I know I keep saying that but-"

"I love you, too," she assured him, cutting him off.

"Despite my flaws and mistakes?"

"Because of them."

Pulling out of his grasp, Isabelle went to grab her bag, but again Jack took if for her. She looked up at him and he just grinned. Isabelle looked over at Jane and nodded towards the door. The four of them walked out onto into the street and towards the car, Bobby emerging from the kitchen doorway and residing on the porch as they all said their final goodbyes.

Jack placed Isabelle's bag into the trunk of her sister's car and shut the trunk with a loud thud. Isabelle looked over at him and pulled him into a tight hug, neither one of them able to control their flood of tears. She kissed his jawline and ran her hand through his hair ruffling it carelessly.

"I always loved doing that," she remarked, sniffling.

"I always love when you do."

Smiling through her tears Isabelle let go of Jack and walked over to the car where her sister was already getting in. Jack pulled the door open for her and helped her into the car. She got into it and as the door shut she rolled the window down and grabbed for Jack's hand.

"You have all the phone cards and envelopes and everything, right?"

"Yes. And you will call me as soon as you get to Grand Haven?"

"Promise." She dropped his hand and felt a severe in their connection. "I love you, Jack. It's starting to get redundant."

"If it's true than that's all that matters," Jack replied. He leaned into the car, kissing her cheek and then smiling through his soon to burst floodgated eyes. "Go on, you're going to hit traffic if you don't head out soon."

"Okay."

"It's only three hours away, it's not the end of the world, right?"

"Right," she agreed, looking down at the floor of the car. "See you in three months, Jack."

"Yeah, three months, Belle."

Isabelle started to roll her window up and the car started up. They started to drive away and Jack watched as they drove away. He stood there for nearly fifteen minutes, Evelyn standing a few feet away from him incase she needed him.

"She's really gone," Jack remarked. He looked back at his mother, tears falling from his eyes and gliding over his cheeks. "Things aren't going to be the same between Belle and I, are they?"

Evelyn knew that she couldn't lie to her son but she also couldn't be the bearer of bad news. So instead of condoling him with words, Evelyn walked over to her youngest and heartbroken son and wrapped her arms around him tightly as he let out all of his sadness.

Bobby stood on the porch, watching the two of them. He knew that Jack needed this moment alone with Evelyn, so he didn't barge in. He wrapped his arms around himself, fighting off the feeling that even he knew, that without Isabelle the house was going to be different, his baby brother was going to be different. Leaving, however, was what was best for Isabelle. With one last look at his brother, Bobby turned on his heels and walked into the house.

"I'm proud of ya, fairy," he said aloud.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (I love that they had the best non-real relationship! Thank you for telling me that you liked the last line of that chapter, I had thought that it was incredibly sappy and that people would revolt...so, yeah, thanks...lol.)  
i don't care what people think (soon enough?)  
Iluvgarretthedlund (Does it mean what is over? The story or the relationship? I have an answer for both lol.)  
Trizzy**


	33. Two Months, TwentyNine Days Later

Two Months, Twenty-Nine Days Later…

Isabelle sat on her couch in her new house, watching television with her newly found nephew, Keith. The little boy giggled at the cartoon dancing about on the screen and she couldn't help but smile at the boy. He was one of those adorable little boys who, with just a smile, could get away with anything. He looked over at Isabelle and smiled, exposing the gap in his front two teeth.

"Auntie Izbelle, has your friend called?" he asked.

"Not yet, honey," she replied, patting his head. "Do you think I should call him?"

"Yes," he replied, nodding overzealously.

"I think so, too," she replied. She stood up from the couch and picked the little boy up. She threw him over her shoulder and he giggled. "Whoa, you're getting so big, soon I won't be able to pick you up."

Keith laughed softly and rested against his aunt's shoulder. As soon as they got into the kitchen where the phone hung on the wall, she placed him down on the chair and turned towards the phone. She began to hurriedly dial Jack's house and it rang for what seemed like forever until Bobby finally answered.

"Whaddya want?" Bobby questioned.

"Nice way to answer the phone, Bobby," she said.

"Izzy, long time, Jack usually bogarts the phone when you call. What have you been up to lately?" he asked.

"Not much," she replied.

"Interesting," he said. "You know, things have been crazy around here. Jerry's wife's knocked up again-"

"Jack told me."

"Angel and La Vida Loca are still attached at the groin-"

"Already knew that."

"Jack's come out of the closet-"

"Actually, from what I heard, it's the other way around. Turns out you're the ass man…Or rather the 'take-it-in-the-ass' man."

"Ooooo, Auntie Izbelle said azz…" the little boy sing-songed.

"No, I didn't, you're imagining things," she replied. "Bobby, before I teach this little boy more bad words accidentally, would you please put Jack on the phone."

"No," Bobby said. "So, wh-"

"What do you mean no?"

"I mean, I can't put Jack on the phone."

"Why not?"

"Because he's not home."

"You could have told me that in the beginning," Isabelle remarked.

"But fun would that be?" he asked. She could tell he was smirking on the other side of the line.

"Tell your brother that I am mad at him and he better call me as soon as he gets home or I swear when he gets here in a couple of days I will make him miserable. Can you relay that you him for me?"

"Sure thing, but I don't know why you don't want to talk to me."

"Because my sister and her husband are supposed to be home soon and I have to unteach Keith the word ass...Shit! Oh, my God." She groaned, slapping her head with the palm on her hand, while Bobby laughed. "Goodbye."

"Later, Izzy."

Isabelle hung the phone up and turned towards her nephew.

"So, what's it going to take to get you to unlearn those words for Auntie Isabelle?"

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A promise to take him to see a cartoon movie and a new toy later, Keith had 'forgotten' Isabelle's 'no-no' words. She was sitting back on the couch beside him and looked over at the clock. It was five, not only should her sister be back but Jack should have called by now. He never forgot to call, he was religious about calling her. She knew that nothing was wrong, she would get a feeling if something was, but she felt something in the air around her, something was happening.

As Isabelle was deep in thought the front door to the house swung open and in walked her sister and her husband, Hank, carrying grocery bags. The two of them smiled like the perfect couple that they were and walked into the living room. Jane dropped her purse on the coffee table in front of Isabelle and looked over at her sister, noticing the look on Isabelle's face.

"I take it Jack didn't call, "Jane said.

"Nope," she replied.

Isabelle sighed and stood up, grabbing some of the bags from her sister and bringing them into the kitchen. She placed them on the table and started to put things away, organizing was something that Isabelle only did when she was upset and from living with Jane for nearly three months she was aware of it.

"Isabelle, I'm sure he'll call," Jane said, walking over to her sister. She placed her hand on Isabelle's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. "He's probably just packing and got distracted in his endeavor."

"I called his house, Bobby said he was out."

"You have nothing to worry about, you go out," she said.

Isabelle nodded and went back to placing things in the cupboard and then rearranging the boxes or cans around them. Jane took notice of it and gently led her sister out of the kitchen and into the living room, forcing her to sit down on the couch next to Keith and Hank.

"Honey, please help me put things away. I'm afraid that if I let Isabelle do anything more we won't be able to find a thing in our kitchen," Jane said.

Hank stood up with a chuckle and walked into the living room. Keith crawled across the couch and rested his little body against Isabelle's side. She smiled at him, he was more comforting than a dog at times. She wrapped her arm around him and settled in, watching some more of the cartoons that were always on the television. She sat there undisturbed for a little, listening more to the cute banter between Jane and Hank in the kitchen fighting over where the box of pasta of belonged, until the doorbell rang.

"Isabelle, can you answer that?" Jane asked, sticking her head out the doorway of the kitchen. "I'm a bit busy trying to teach my idiot husband where stuff goes."

"Sure."

Isabelle stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. She pulled the door open but no one was there. She sighed and called back to her sister that it was just a prank, then started to head back towards the couch. She was halfway back to her destination when the bell rang out again.

"I got it," she said.

Again she pulled the door open but no one was there. She furrowed her eyebrows but shook her head and shut the door again, locking it behind her this time and then began to walk away. She barely made it two feet from the door before it rang out. She unlocked it and pulled it open and much to her chagrin there was no one there. She was beginning to get angry with this pathetic game.

"Do it again, I dare you, you asshole!" she yelled. She shut the door and looked over into the living room. "I didn't say asshole," she informed Keith. She walked all the way back to the kitchen and sat down before the bell rang this time. "Idiots think that this is funny."

She threw the door open, ready to scream angrily but this time there was someone at the door. She glanced at the person, smiled and then screamed happily. She threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to fall down onto the wooden porch. She laughed and planted soft kisses on his jaw and lips repeatedly before he could even get a word out.

"So you think I'm an asshole?" Jack asked, smirking.

"Yes," she replied, hitting him on the shoulder lightly. She stood up and helped him to his feet, then dragged him into the house. She noticed the grins on her sister's and brother-in-law's faces and knew instantly that they had planned it. "You all suck!"

"I know, but don't you just love us?" Jane asked, happily.

Jack had made a quick departure to grab his bags off of the porch and then walked back into the house. He came up behind Isabelle and wrapped his arms around her waist, planting a soft kiss on her neck. She instantly felt all the love that she had been missing from him, there were just some things that couldn't be expressed in a phone conversation.

"They had me wait outside for a bit to surprise you," Jack said.

"Yeah, but the doorbell thing we had no part in," Hank added.

"That was my idea," Jack replied.

Isabelle smiled and turned around in Jack's arms to face him. She kissed him softly and wrapped her arms around his neck. He straightened out his back so that from the grip he had on her waist and hers around his neck, she was lifted from the ground. She smirked at him, wrinkling her nose at him and he couldn't resist kissing the tip of her nose.

"You grew," Isabelle remarked, laughing as he pulled away from her.

"Yeah," he said, smiling. He put her back down on the ground.

Instantly, Isabelle felt a tug of the bottom of her jeans and looked down to see her nephew pulling on the fabric. She bent down to pick him up and held her in her arms so that he was resting against her hip. He looked over at Jack, almost as if he was sizing him up.

"Jwack?" Keith questioned.

"That's me."

"I'm not impwessed."

Isabelle laughed and hugged Keith tightly and then set him on the floor. He scampered away and climbed onto the couch to resume his cartoon watching. Isabelle smirk and stepped back into Jack's grasp.

"I am," she whispered into his ear. "I think maybe we should get you settled in."

Jack grabbed his bags and followed Isabelle up the stairs. The two of them could hear and Hank questioning Jane about the sleeping arrangements as the ascending the stairs and tried hard not to laugh. As soon as the door shut behind them Jack dropped his bags to the floor, laughing and walked over to Isabelle.

"I missed you," Jack said, wrapping his arms around her.

"I missed you, too," she replied. She placed her hand over his and settled in against his warmth. "You know, all my friends here have been waiting to meet you. I go on and on about you so much they're beginning to think I made you up. They don't believe one guy can be so perfect."  
"You've been raving about me?" he asked.

"Of course, how many times am I going to have the perfect guy in my life?" she questioned. She turned around in his arms so that she could face him and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "We should get you unpacked."

Isabelle slowly pulled out of his grasp and walked over to his bags. She grabbed the largest one and Jack's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back to him. She laughed, dropping the bag and fighting his grip slightly, but secretly enjoying it. He began to kiss the base of her neck, slowly leading up to her ear.

"No, we can't," Isabelle said, pulling away again and turning to face him.

"Why not?"

"Because my sister and her family are downstairs," she said. She smiled and rested her hand on his chest, keeping him at arm's length. "The minute they are gone, there won't be a problem, but until then you must remain at a distance from me. I know you, your 'emotions' get the better of you."

"No, my hands get the better of me," he replied, trying to move closer to her.

"No," she warned him. She held both her hands out and pushed him away. "Behave or nothing at all."

Groaning, Jack retreated. He fell back onto the bed and looked around the room. It was a rich shade of purple that Isabelle had obviously chosen herself and the walls were decorated with posters of random bands that the two of them had enjoyed. He rolled over, facing the wall her bed was rested against, and smiled to himself. Taped to the wall, just beside where she laid her head at night, was a picture of Jack.

"I see I made the bedside wall," he said, tapping the picture.

Isabelle nodded and climbed into the bed. She rested her head on his shoulder and cuddled closely to him.

"Of course." She moved her mouth close to his ear and whispered, "Who else should I be thinking about before I fall asleep at night?"

"Me and only me," he answered.

Turing towards her, he pressed his lips against hers. It was soft and innocent at first but soon evolved. Isabelle, her mind so clouded by Jack's intoxicating scent, didn't even bother trying to push him away. Instead, she laid there beside him, wanting to feel him as much as he wanted her. Isabelle moaned softly as Jack's hand slid down the front of her shirt and then underneath it.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked, pulling away for a moment.

"Yes," she answered, unable to tear herself away from his neck, which she was kissing with a fervent passion. "Don't stop."

"What about your sister and her family?" Jack asked, mockingly.

"Would you shut up?"

Jack was only too happy to oblige. His neck arched enjoyably at the feel of her lips on his skin. He rolled over, so that she was beneath him and he could get a better view of her. His hand slid to her back, working on the straps.

"No, "she murmured, shaking her head softly.

Jack stopped and pulled his hand away from her back. He rested it against her cheek, slowly bringing her face up to his so that he could kiss her. Isabelle wrapped her arms around his waist, letting her hands slowly slide up the back of his shirt, her hands resting against his warm skin. Jack arched his back, trying to press his skin harder against her hands. Isabelle began to tug on the fabric of his shirt, signaling that she wanted him to take it off. He started to, pulling away from her slightly, when the bedroom door flew open.

"Isabelle, I-" Jane stopped speaking, startled at the sight before. "Oh, my God. I am so sorry you two. Next time, just, like, lock the door, or hang a sock on the doorknob. I didn't see anything."

Jane quickly back out of the room. Jack collapsed against Isabelle, his shirt exposing his skin up to his chest. She laughed hysterically and buried her face in his chest. He looked down at her unable to figure out how she found it so funny.

"That was humiliating," he said, rolling over and pulling his shirt down.

"That's what happens when you don't listen to me," she replied.

"I didn't see you objecting much."

"Fine," she said, rolling over so that her back was to him. "Don't expect me to be 'friendly' at all this week."

"Yeah, that'll last about an hour," Jack muttered.

Isabelle laughed and rolled back over. She kissed his cheek softly, but he pretended to not be interested. She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around herself, settling in against him. He tightened his grip on her and rested his hand on her stomach.

"Not even an hour," he mumbled.

"Of course not," she said. "My goodness, we're not even at your house and still someone is interrupting us."

Jack laughed and kissed the top of Isabelle's head. He smiled as she closed her eyes, still resting her head against his chest. He missed this more than anything, the way they could lie together, nothing happening just immersing themselves in one another's company and feeling better merely for being near each other.

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"I am so sorry about before," Jane said, as Jack and Isabelle walked into the dining room. "I guess I forgot what it's like to be a teenager or passionate."

"Is that a hint for me?" Hank asked, smiling.

Isabelle laughed at the two of them as she sat down at the table. Jack sat on one side of her and her nephew, who was barely two years old, sat in the high chair on the other side of her. She turned towards Jack and scooted her chair closer to him, reaching under the table and grabbing his hand.

"I love you," she whispered into his ear.

"I love you, too," he replied. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and held onto it tightly

"So, Jack, Isabelle tells us you're a singer," Jane said.

"Yeah, the next Buddy Holly," Hank added.

"You couldn't find a more out of date singer if you tried, honey," Jane said, shaking her head. "Don't mind, Hank, he's not much of a music fan. He spends most of his time up in his library ancient guys."

"Yes, he's a very interesting guy," Isabelle joked.

"Hey, I have my hobbies and you have yours," he said, defending himself. "Little Keith agrees, right?"

"No," the five year old laughed.

Isabelle smiled and reached out for the baby's hand, preparing to say grace. She said it, having picked the habit up from staying at Evelyn's and then let go of Kyle and Jack's hands. Jane started to serve everyone, and Jack looked at the table, it seemed like a real family, and he felt out of place.

"Is something wrong?" Isabelle asked.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "It's just like a Norman Rockwell painting or something."

"Oh, we're not always like this, we just try to have one family dinner a week to catch up with one another," Jane said.

"Yeah, Jack, most nights Hank is at the library or the college working on his historical documents and stuff. It's usually just me, Jane and Keith."

"The nights when you're not out with your friends."

"I have a life, big deal," Isabelle replied, smiling. "Speaking of which, I need to call them and cancel."

"Cancel?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, you're early and I had plans for tonight but I'm going to cancel them so that I can spend the night catching up with you."

"No, don't do that."

"Are you sure? I mean, won't you feel out of place?"

"I have to meet your friends sometime. Besides, don't you want them to meet the guy that you've been raving about?" he questioned, cockily raising his eyebrows.

Isabelle smacked him softly and smirked.

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Thank You:

4everdreaming  
Bigamericanflirt  
i dont care what people think  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
i run with scissors  
Trizzy  
Verona Sage


	34. Meeting Her Friend

**Author's Important Note: I was not aware of this until your reviews came in and I was slightly shocked by the happiness of all of them, but apparently ff didn't post the entire chapter. I do not know how this happened but the last four of the seven pages for the last chapter were missing, so I added the rest of the coversation to the last chapter (hence why the ending seemed abrupt) and posted the rest of the chapter as another chapter. Sorry for the confusion and for making you read two chapters instead of one, but I have no idea why this occured. So please go back to the last chapter and read the ending to the dinner scene and then come to read this. Thank you.  
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"You drive like less of a maniac, Belle," Jack said, as she pulled into a parking lot.

"I know," she replied, smiling. "I tend to help Jane with Keith and I didn't want to scare the poor kid, so my friend gave me some lessons. You'll meet him tonight."

"Him?" he questioned.

Jack stepped out of the car and followed behind Isabelle as she headed into a coffee shop. He caught up to her and instantly wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked back at him as she ran her hand along his hand and continued to the café. As the got into the door she looked around the room, settling her eyes on something familiar.

"Jack, stay here for a moment, I'm just going to go find him," Isabelle instructed.

"Okay," he replied, nodding softly and releasing his grip on her waist.

Isabelle smiled softly and walked towards a large crowd of people. She seemed to fit in with them perfectly. She smiled and laughed, hugging a few of them, Jack had never seen her that happy. Finally, it seemed that Isabelle had found the person she was looking for, or rather he had found her. He wrapped his arms around Isabelle tightly, hugging her and swinging her around happily. He pulled away, placing a hand on either of her shoulders and smiled, saying something that Jack couldn't make out.

Slowly, the guy turned towards Jack. He had an unnatural happy grin on his face and walked beside Isabelle, heading towards him. Jack took notice of the guy's appearance. He was average height but had an aura around him that made him appear taller than he was. He had long, brown hair and a face that was so innocent yet appealing that he must have caught the attention of every girl who passed him. Jack couldn't help but to feel jealous, as the guy walked towards him, holding Isabelle's hand. To anyone besides Jack, they looked like a couple.

"Jack, this is my friend Ian," Isabelle said, dropping his hand. "Ian, this is Jack my boyfriend."

"I've heard a lot about you," Ian said, holding out his hand.

"Yeah, can't say I've heard much about you," Jack replied. He shook his hand hesitantly and then looked over at Isabelle. "But then again, since I got into town Belle and I haven't talked much."

"Because you just got into town," she said, shaking her head.

Isabelle looped her arm through Jack's and he smiled. She then proceeded to loop her other arm through Ian's and he became disheartened. She looked up at him and smiled, dragging the two of them out of the shop. They headed towards her car and Jack instantly shot for the front seat. Isabelle gave him an odd look but just dismissed it.

"Jack, don't you think that you might be more comfortable in the back?" Isabelle suggested.

"No, I like the front," he replied, not wanting Ian to be closer to her.

"Okay, whatever," she said.

Jack opened the door and slid into the passenger seat. As soon as the door shut behind him he heard the back car door slam shut and looked back to give Ian a look of victory when he noticed that Isabelle was sitting in the back. He glanced next to him and Ian was starting the car.

"She may have improved her driving skills, but I'd still rather not have her driving," Ian said.

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Jack muttered, looking out the window.

"So what are the plans, Ian?" Isabelle asked, looking up at the front seat.

"Movies, like we planned and the diner afterward?" he suggested.

Isabelle nodded in approval but remarked, "Ian, would you care deeply if we skipped the after movie events, I kind of want to spend some one-on-one time with Jack, if you know what I mean."

Jack looked back at Isabelle, shocked by the brazen comment from Isabelle. She grinned at him shamelessly and shrugged.

"Hey, if I hadn't seen my girlfriend in nearly three months I wouldn't be able to wait to see her again. That is if I had a girlfriend, of course," Ian said. He looked over at Jack and nudged his shoulder in a buddy kind of way. "You're a lucky guy, Jack."

Looking over at Ian, Jack furrowed his eyebrows together, wondering exactly what he meant by that. Isabelle pulled him out his thoughts by remarking about how happy she was that her two favorite guys were getting along and ran her hand along his arm.

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Thank You:

aragornsgirll  
Bigamericanflirt  
Iluvgarretthedlund  
Trizzy


	35. Photograph

Isabelle and Jack sat in the theater, awaiting Ian's return from the restroom and for the movie to start. Jack was off in deep thought, concentrating on something in his head. Isabelle gently placed her hands on either side of his face, moving his head towards hers. She smiled at him and gently planted a kiss on his lips. Jack, who was slightly surprised by her public display, took a moment before he kissed her back. He smiled as he returned the kisses, his hand tangling itself in her hair, keeping her close so that he could hungrily taste her. Isabelle laughed very softly as he pulled away from her and pressed his soft lips to her neck, whispering into her skin that he loved her.

"I love you, too," she replied. She placed one of her hands on the back of his neck, gently letting fingers trail down the trail of his neck to his shoulder. "I really missed you."

"Wouldn't it be much more fun to just go back to your house?"

"And what would we do with Ian since we all took my car?"

"Give him cab fare."

"That's very cute, Jack. I planned this before I knew you were coming early," Isabelle replied, shaking her head and straightening up in her seat. "I can't back out of plans on Ian. Besides, I got us out of going to the Corner Café afterward, be nice or I will make you wait longer."

"No you won't. You want me just as bad. You are the one who just started that kiss," he said, grinning arrogantly.

Isabelle just returned the grin and rested her head on his shoulder. Jack wrapped his arm around her shoulders, holding her to his side. Jack was just beginning to get comfortable when he heard Ian's voice as he walked down the aisle. He walked past the two of them and took the empty seat next to Isabelle. Jack glared at him, angry that he ruined their alone time but said nothing of it to Isabelle, knowing that it would only upset her. She truly did want Jack to get along with her friends, but she didn't seem to realize that Ian definitely wanted to be more than friends with her, at least in Jack's eyes.

As the lights started to dim Isabelle sat up straight nearly knocking Jack's arm off of her shoulder. She glanced over at him, a smile reserved only for him dancing on her lips. She leaned over, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and then turned back toward the movie.

About an hour in the movie, Jack was bored out of his mind. He wasn't a fan of subtitles, he never saw a point in reading a movie. There was no gore or blood, it was all more psychological but because Jack was barely paying attention he found none of it remotely scary. He glanced over at Isabelle who was intently watching the screen, just as Ian was, and he felt like the third wheel in his own relationship. Suddenly, the loud scream came from the speakers in the theater as a figure in the movie jumped out of a closet. Isabelle jumped and quickly grabbed hold of Ian's hand out of fear.

Jack instantly noticed Isabelle's reaction. He couldn't believe that she would reach out for Ian instead of him first. He was also aware of the fact that Isabelle didn't let go and that Ian's thumb was gently running against the back of her hand. He wanted to grabbed her hand away from Ian and break his thumb, but he remained calm. A few minutes later, Isabelle pulled her hand away from Ian and placed both of her hands in her lap as if nothing had happened.

Feeling his eyes on her, Isabelle glanced over at Jack. She smiled softly and kissed him, tangling her fingers in his thick mane. As she pulled away she made a soft sound of delight and placed one more peck on his lips. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders for the second time that night. Jack could tell that Ian looked over at them once during the movie and he wanted so desperately to laugh at him in victory but he contained his pretentious delight. However, once when Jack did catch Ian looking over at him and Isabelle, he leaned down to kiss Isabelle soundly on the lips. She smiled and instantly returned the gesture, unaware of the extra pair of eyes on her. Jack felt as if he had won, even if Ian didn't know that they were in competition, they were.

After the movie was over they all headed back towards the car. Ian and Isabelle were having a conversation as Jack came up from behind and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the back of her neck, brushing her hair of to the side. She covered Jack's hand on her stomach with her own and continued her conversation.

"So, I'll drive back to the Café and you two can handle it from there?" Ian asked, eyeing Jack curiously.

"Of course," Isabelle said with a smile. "Don't worry, Ian, Jack's a teddy bear."

"Yeah, plus Isabelle handles me real well," Jack said with a smirk.

"Ignore him."

Ian nodded and headed towards the car, walking ahead of the two of them. Jack kept his hands on Isabelle until they reached the car, at which point her let go of her to open the door and then slid in next to her. As soon as they car started, Ian and Isabelle started another heated conversation, this time about the movie.

"I think that it was not only psychological but historical…"

Jack zoned out almost immediately. He didn't understand how Isabelle could remain awake when this guy spoke. Yes, Isabelle was significantly smart, she was the only reason her passed his classes that year, but she was also fun and lively. She could one minute me serious and talking about some author or artist and then the next minute be at a party with Jack fitting in with everyone or pretend fighting over if Van Halen or The Rolling Stones was better. Yet, here she was listening to Ian blather on about how the French revolution somehow paralleled the movie.

Looking over at Isabelle, Jack noticed that she was so immersed that she didn't realize that his hand had decided to move closer to her leg. He continued and rested it on her kneecap and looked back up at her to see if there were any objections. There weren't. Isabelle looked over at him, smiling to herself as his hand traveled up further so that it was resting on her thigh. She turned back towards Ian, continuing her conversation, but place her hand over Jack's and moved it up a little bit. He smiled, gently massaging her leg, and seeing the secret smirk on her face. He wanted so badly to kiss her but knew to restrain himself at least a little bit. He would wait until Ian got out of the car before he would kiss her lips, touch her face, press his body to hers. But he knew that he wouldn't be able to wait until they got home, that would just be torture for him. From the look on her face as his hand slid along her jean clad leg it would be torture for Isabelle as well.

As they pulled into the café parking lot, Isabelle gently pushed Jack's hand off of her leg and opened the door, sliding out of the car gracefully. She met Ian in front of the car and spoke to him for a moment as Jack watched from the back of the car. He was surprised that as they said their goodbyes Ian pulled Isabelle into a mutual hug and even more shocking was that as they pulled away he saw Isabelle quickly kiss Ian on the cheek. Jack's jealously rose quickly. Isabelle pulled open the driver's side door and slid into the car. She looked back to see Jack still sitting there.

"Aren't you going to come in the front with me?" Isabelle questioned.

Jack didn't answer, just opened the door and got out, then got into the front passenger seat. As soon as he sat down, Isabelle pulled his face to hers, kissing him harshly and ardently. Jack was taken back for a moment but quickly joined in, somehow pressing her back against her door. He was on top of her, one hand on her neck while the other ran over the front of her body. As Jack tried to switch positions slightly his arm slipped and hit the horn. He jumped back as it went off, leaving Isabelle there smiling, obviously humored by the incident. She sat up, straightened her clothes out and started the car, glancing over at Jack who was putting his seat belt on.

"Do you want to go home or do you w-"

"Home," Jack quickly answered.

Laughing softly, Isabelle pulled out of the parking lot and down the road.

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Isabelle pushed her bedroom door open, nearly falling on the floor from the force of Jack as he wrapped his arms around her waist, kicking the door shut behind him. She shushed him, afraid to wake up the rest of the house but he seemed unworried. Isabelle turned around in his arms, her hair hanging down in front of her face. Softly, Jack pushed it away, letting his hands remain on the sides of her face, staring down into her eyes. He pulled her face to his, kissing her hungrily, feeling the desperate need to be close to her.

Stumbling backwards, Isabelle found her way to the bed. She slid onto it, letting him gently rest on top of her. Jack smiled as he pulled away from her momentarily and reached for the bottom of his shirt, pulling it off and throwing it to the floor. Isabelle ran her hands along his stomach before doing as Jack had done and then pulling him back down to her. He gladly pressed his bare upper half to hers as one hand worked on her jeans and the other caressed her face softly. She closed her eyes, taking in everything she had been missing for three months. The way his skin felt and tasted, the way he smelt, the way he moved. She moved his hands to his shoulder blades, running them over the bony area then gently massaging the skin in between them.

"Just try to be quiet," Isabelle whispered, gently kissing the side of his neck. "We don't want to wake anyone up."

"You're taking the fun out of it," Jack joked, nipping Isabelle's lip.

"The fun?" she questioned. "I think you've been seriously misled if you think the noises are the fun part."

"Then what is?" he replied, feigning complete innocence.

"How about you start and I'll point the _fun_ parts out to you."

Isabelle wrapped her arms around his lower back as he gently kissed and bit on her neck. She ran her hand through his hair, lightly pressing his face further into her neck, keeping as much contact with one another as they could manage. She laughed softly as Jack tried to wiggle his way out of his jeans and then started to work on hers but to no avail. He pulled away from her neck slightly, trying to act coy and hide his troubles with the jeans.

"You need a little help?" Isabelle asked, an amused smile spread across her face.

"No, I can do it," he replied. He tried again, but they wouldn't budge.

"Jack, please let me help you," she said. She pushed him away slightly and raised her hips so that her lower half was off of the bed. Jack heard the unclasping of metal and then saw Isabelle smile as she pulled her belt out from the loops around her jeans. "That might help."

"Possibly."

Jack quickly brought himself back down to her kissing her while he successfully slid her jeans off of her waist. His hands gliding across her skin as the denim disappeared. She smiled at his touch and closed her eyes momentarily, concentrating on the feel of his calloused hands as they touched her skin. Jack felt almost as if he was trying to prove that she was meant to be with him from every touch of his skin to hers. Isabelle sighed agreeably from his touch and Jack knew that she was there in that moment with him. That she loved him and not Ian.

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Jack woke the next morning to find Isabelle already gone. He sighed slightly, closed his eyes and stretched out across the bed, his long limbs hanging off on either side. He felt the bed dip down to the side of him but before he could open his eyes, the weight of another human being landed on him, softly planting kisses along his neck and jaw. As his eyes opened, he placed his arms on her waist and smiled up at her. She was clad only in a robe, her hair soaking wet and little droplets of water fell down from the strands to his chest.

"Morning," Isabelle whispered into his ear.

"Good morning," Jack replied, smiling. She removed one of his hands from her waist and pushed her wet hair behind her ear. "Just get out of the shower?"

"Yes."

"Should have waited for me to get up, I could have kept you company," he said softly.

"I'm sure Hank and Jane would have loved that. Not only is Hank freaking out that my seventeen year old boyfriend who is, and I quote, 'Full of raging hormones,' sleeping my bedroom in my bed but if he saw you sneaking out to take a shower with me, he might just kick you ass."

"He's kind tiny for a guy who wants to kick my ass."

"Behave," she warned.

"Where's the fun in that?" he asked. He gripped onto her waist tightly and switched positions with her so that he was on top. "Maybe we could have a little pre-getting-the-day-started fun?"

Jack started to kiss her neck softly while he reached out for the bedside table's drawer. He pulled it open and started rummaging around in it and Isabelle laughed, shaking her head softly. She heard the foil of it crumble in Jack's hand and she pushed him away, sitting up.

"Not now, Jack," she said, taking the condom out of his hand and placing it beside her on the bed. "Everyone's awake."

"So?" he questioned.

"Later…I promise it will be worth it," she whispered, lightly kiss his cheek and then climbing off the bed. She looked back over at Jack who fell back on the bed. "Don't be dramatic."

Jack smirked at the tone of her voice and hoisted himself up on his elbows. Isabelle hit the drawer closed with her hip and started to walk towards her closet. Leaping up off the bed, Jack made his way over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck gently.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I know you do," Isabelle replied, resting her hand his and giving it a tight squeeze. "I have to get ready, as do you, so why don't you go take a shower while I get dressed?"

"Fine," he pouted. Jack pulled away from Isabelle and walked out of the room and into the bathroom.

Ten minutes later, Jack ran back into the bedroom, clad only in a towel. Isabelle, who was lying on the floor with her headphones on, was oblivious to his re-entrance. He walked over to Isabelle and dropped the boxers on the floor beside her. She looked down at the fabric beside her and jumped up off the floor.

"That is gross, Mercer," she said, hitting him on the shoulder.

"You didn't think they were so gross when you were peeling them off of me last night," he retorted with a smart-alec smirk spread across his face. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her up to him. "Actually, you thought they were quite delightful, or at least what was in them was."

"Shut up. My goodness, what happened to the sweet, innocent, non-egotistical Jack I got used to?" Isabelle questioned, playfully.

"He's still here," he replied. "But, you know, small amounts of ego never hurt anybody."

"It's prevented you from getting laid before so don't start it again unless you want to go another…"

"I'll be good."

Isabelle laughed and kissed him softly before falling back onto the bed. Jack walked over to his suitcase and threw it open, bending down in front of it so that he could look through the contents. Without shame, Isabelle let out a small whistle of enjoyment and comment about the view.

"And you're telling me to behave," Jack muttered, jokingly.

"Get dressed so we can go downstairs."

Jack nodded softly and grabbed the clothes and began to change. Isabelle got up from the bed and walked over to her mirror, fixing her hair. Jack took his towel and threw it at her. It landed on top of her head and he laughed as she turned around to face him, holding the towel in her hand with a grimace on her face.

"Turn back around, we don't want to poison those innocent eyes of yours," Jack mocked.

Isabelle laughed and threw the towel back to him. He was done fine minutes later.

"Ready, Belle?" he asked.

Isabelle nodded softly and headed towards the door. As soon as he hand made contact with the doorknob, Jack wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back to his chest. It hadn't been until then that she realized how much she missed Jack's touch. She hated that by the end of the week it would once again be a distant memory until the next visit, but she knew that having him with long intervals in between was better than not having him at all.

The two of them walked into the kitchen where everyone else was already present. Jane looked up from her cup of coffee, giving her sister an all-knowing older sister smile and raised her eyebrows. Isabelle sat down at the table across from her sister while Jack sat in the seat adjacent to both Isabelle and Jane.

"So did you two have fun last night?" Jane asked.

"The movie wasn't Jack's type," Isabelle replied, unfazed by what her sister was really asking. "He's not into the whole subtitled horror movie genre."

"He must've at least enjoyed the benefits of having his girlfriend scared," she pushed.

Jack's mind went back to the image of Isabelle reaching for Ian's hand instead of his. He looked over at Jane and just nodded a reply.

"Wow, you two really aren't giving anything up so I'm just going to have ask it blatantly, aren't I?" Jane looked between the two teens and sighed helplessly. "Fine, here it goes, how was the reunion sex?"

Hank, who had been standing by the counter drinking his coffee, spit the scolding liquid onto the front of his shirt and looked over at his wife. Jane just laughed as Jack, Hank, and Isabelle all had matching looks of horror on their faces. A moment later, Isabelle rested her head on the table and began to softly bang it against the wood.

"Pardon, me, I think I am just going to start the laundry. Come on, Keith, help daddy collect the laundry," Hank said, excusing himself and picking up his son. "Isabelle, do you have any laundry?"

"Yeah, it's in my hamper in my room," she answered, never removing her head from the table. Hank was about to walk up the steps to get it when Isabelle suddenly jumped out of her chair knocking it to the floor. "Let me get it!"

"No, it's fine," he replied.

Isabelle looked desperately over at Jack, trying to get him to help her and he just stood up and walked over to Hank, unsure of why he was trying to stop him.

"Um, you wouldn't mind if I threw in my clothes from yesterday, would you? I mean, I kind of like to stay on top of things," Jack said.

"Good choice of words," Isabelle whispered, trying not to laugh.

Jack looked over at her curiously not understanding what she meant. She raised her eyebrows at him and mouthed the word 'rubber' and then he remembered what they had left on the bed.

"It's fine…I can-" Hank started.

"Good, let me just go get those then," Jack quickly said, moving past Hank and quickly up the stairs to Isabelle's room.

As soon as they door shut behind him Jack made his way over to the bed and grabbed the stray, still packaged, condom. He walked over to the other side of the bed, opening the dresser drawer and pulled it open slowly. When Isabelle hit it against her hip to close it she must have made the contents of it slide to the back of the drawer. He threw what he had come up to put away back into the drawer and rearranged it so that the rest of them were hidden as well, just like they had been. As he pushed things about he saw the corner of a picture in the drawer. As things began to go back in their proper places, Isabelle's face became clear. He grabbed the photo and pulled it out of the drawer expecting it to be a picture of her friends and her at the lake or something instead it was an unpleasant site.

In the photo that he held in his hands was Isabelle smiling happily, her arms wrapped around another guy from behind. The guy was smiling as well, looking up at Isabelle and his hands holding onto hers on his waist. It didn't take Jack long to realize who it was. From the brown eyes and mid-length brown hair, plus the aura that was present even in a still-life picture he could tell it was Ian. Isabelle was in that picture with Ian, smiling brighter with him than she ever had with Jack. Jack's jealously rose higher than it had before and he didn't know what to do.

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**A/N: Only two chapters of H.S. Teenager stuff...Hope you all enjoyed that part! Also, because I am just plain old weird, I biased Ian's looks on another actor, lol, hey it's my fanfiction lol...So if anyone wants to know what Ian is supposed to look like because I can't do descriptions well at all, look up an actor named Jake Richardson. I am also aware that he's scrawny and Jack could totally snap him in half, but it's my little world...so, no snapping the hot twig in half will happen.**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (Ian is supposed to sound hot, lol, so it's okay if you think so...lol. Maybe Jack will get pissed and then piss Isabelle off, or maybe I have something different planned in my mind...You will just have to wait for the next chapter.)  
Cheetah girl 15 (I don't think anybody really likes Ian because we're all Jack Mercer biased lol. Thank you so much for the compliment, you have no idea how muchit means to get positive feedback!)  
cujo (You don't have to apologize for your computer being down trust me I know what it's like just glad that you are still taking time out to read and review!)  
Iluvgarretthedlund (Yes, Jackie's jealous...lol, hello some man is totally crushing on his girl...lol.)  
jsweetie79 (Thank you for looking forward to my updates, it means a lot.)  
Trizzy (Yes, tis a large twinge of jealousy on Jack's part.)**


	36. Last Night In Town

**A/N: A huge thank you must go out to _ImAdctd2A3rdClssRkStr _(I swear your p.c. and mine are plotting against us everytime we try to IM), for if she didn't help me with what I had written then this chapter would have taken even longer to be posted. I am sorry for the length of time it took me to get this up, it is uncharacteristic of me, but some drama's been going down around me and let's just say, people suck! So, finally this chapter is posted, I'm not quite sure on how I feel about it, but please tell me how you feel about it!  
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One Week Later…

Isabelle sat down on the couch, plopping down next to Jack, who held Keith in his arms the both of them sleeping soundly. She smiled at the sight, happy that the most difficult member of her family was finally getting along with Jack. She leaned over to Jack's side and gently kissed his neck, emitting a small noise from the back of his throat.

"How about I go put Keith in his room so that Aunt Isabelle and Uncle Jack can have some time to themselves?" Isabelle suggested to Jack as he woke.

"I think I like that idea," he replied. Isabelle went to take Keith from Jack's arms but he shook his head. "Let me do it, he likes me now, so I think I should be able to deal with naptime."

"Be my guest," she replied.

Smiling, she settled into the back of the couch as Jack carefully stood up, as to not wake the sleeping child. He headed towards the stairs, as he reached them he turned towards Isabelle and grinned mischievously. He walked up the stairs, placing careful steps and avoiding toys left on the floor, a lesson he learned the third night here. He pushed Keith's door open and walked over to his bed, placing him onto the mattress. As he went to pull the blankets over him, Keith woke slightly.

"Hey, buddy, go back to sleep," Jack said, ruffling his hair gently.

"Do you love Izbelle?" he asked, looking up at him with a sleepy gaze.

"Of course," he replied. He shook his head and fixed the covers on the bed. "I love her very much. Why do you ask?"

Keith shrugged and yawned softly, rolling over so that his back was to Jack. Gently, Jack patted the kid on the head and turned towards the door.

Did he love Isabelle? Of course he did. It was the reason he didn't confront her about the picture. He loved her and didn't have the courage to ask her, afraid that he would lose her. He knew that it would seem like he was insinuating that she had cheated on him, he always said the wrong things when it came to matters like that. Questioning Isabelle about cheating would be the end of their relationship. She had been so hurt when he had slept with the girl at the party that he could never accuse her of something similar.

As Jack ventured down the stairs he saw that the shades had been drawn and Isabelle was lighting candles. He watched her gently blow the match out and then place the used ones on a glass holder beside the candles. When he reached the bottom step she was standing by the stereo in the living room, putting in a CD and then turning the lights off so that the glow from the candles she had lit while he was upstairs was the only source of light. Standing there by the candle, the light hitting her face made her even more beautiful to Jack, her skin glowing perfectly. He quietly finished his descent and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing her neck softly and pulling the matches out of her hand.

"Is this for us?" he asked, whispering into her neck

"No, it's for my next door neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Pratt, it's their fiftieth anniversary," Isabelle replied, smiling as she turned around in his arms to face him.

"Oh, well, congrats to them," he said.

"Yeah, I-"

Jack cut Isabelle off by softly kissing her, pressing his hands into the small of her back. She laughed as he walked with her towards the couch, stumbling slightly. She landed with a soft thud and Jack came down to her instantly. Closing her eyes, Isabelle felt every touch and kiss her laid on her more intensely and she was enjoying it, but in the back of her mind she had this foreboding feeling of dread, like something wasn't going to go well. Jack noticed her sudden change in reaction to him and he pulled away slightly, looking down into her eyes.

"Baby, are you okay?" he questioned, running his hand along her cheek gently.

"Yeah," she replied unsurely. She leaned up to him and kissed him intensely, pulling him back down to her. "I love you."

Jack felt that something was wrong in her words as she said them, but didn't address the problem. He whispered them back to her huskily and went back to paying attention to her lips. Isabelle's hands were grasping firmly onto Jack's hair, their legs entwined, she pushed him away a bit, ready to get a little closer when the phone rang. Glancing over at the phone, Isabelle shook her head and ignored it, sliding her hands underneath Jack's shirt and pulling it over his head. He smirked at her as soon as the fabric hit the floor. When his lips met hers again the sound of the answering machine rang out and Jane's voice filled the downstairs.

"_Isabelle, answer the phone if you can hear me…You know you're supposed to be at Hank's bosses house in an hour right?_" Jane asked, in the recording.

"Shit," Isabelle muttered, pushing Jack off of her and running to the phone. "I completely forgot…I know, I promised to be there tonight…Yes, I know I have to get Jack and Keith ready…I know…Just give me an extra half an hour and I promise I will be there….Yes, six-thirty sharp…Yes…Bye."

"I take it that we won't get to celebrate the Mr. and Mrs. Pratt's fiftieth anniversary for them anymore," Jack said. Isabelle laughed softly and shook her head.

"Jack, I am so sorry and this totally not the way I wanted to spend our night, but we have to go to dinner at Hank's parents' house," she said.

"I kind of got that from the message," he joked. He walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, we can celebrate later."

"You're not mad?"

"Of course not." He kissed the top of her head and let her go. "Okay, why don't you go upstairs and take a shower first since you take the longest and I'll go wake Keith up and start getting him ready."

"Thank you." She pecked him softly on the cheek and started to run up the stairs, Jack right behind her.

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"Jack, is Keith almost ready?" Isabelle asked, calling out from inside the closed bathroom.

"Keith?" Jack question. "What do you mean, baby?"

Isabelle stuck her head out of the bathroom ready to yell at him only to see Jack heading down the hallway, carrying a giggling Keith upside down. She laughed softly and threw the door open the rest of the way. Jack walked over to her and kissed her neck softly, smelling the scent of her soap on her skin and the laundry detergent on her robe.

"Who's this Keith person you speak of?" Jack asked.

"Me, Uncle Jwack," the little boy exclaimed, through his laughter.

"Did you hear something, Belle?"

"Aunt Izbelle, tell Jwack to put me down!"

"Jack Mercer, put Keith down," Isabelle instructed.

Jack reached down, picking Keith right side up and then placed him on his feet on the floor. Keith stumbled towards the wall a bit, grasping onto Jack's jean clad leg for support. Isabellelaughed and picked him up.

"So, what did you do to him?" she asked Keith.

"Nothing, Jwack said that it was part of the process," he replied.

"Process? Now what process would that be?"

"His hair," Jack answered, smiling proudly. "Keith wanted me to help him with his hair. So I decided to help the little tyke out. He'll be the hottest thing to hit preschool."

"Kindergarten," he corrected.

"Excuse me…Kindergarten."

"Okay, but behave you two," Isabelle replied. "Jack, do Keith's hair and then bring him to my room, I'll have your clothes waiting for you so that you can take a shower and get dressed quickly. Okay?"

"Yes, m'am," he said.

Isabelle started to leave the room but she felt Jack grasp onto her arm and pull her back to him. She looked at him curiously but he kissed her quickly.

"Looked like you needed that," Jack stated.

"Thanks."

Isabelle went to her room and walked over to Jack's bags. She grabbed them, throwing them onto her bed. She scanned the small selection of Jack's clothes for something appropriate, but found nothing. She walked out of her room and over to her sister's room, right over to Hank's closet. She grabbed a button up shirt from the hanger and then headed back to her room where Jack and Keith were already waiting.

"So, what do you think of the new, improved, Keith Daniels?" Jack asked, holding him up.

Isabelle laughed softly, shaking her head in disbelief. Somehow Jack had managed to replicate his hair on her nephew's short, thin hair. She took him from Jack and looked down at him, unable to wipe the grin off of her face.

"Well, don't you look handsome," Isabelle remarked. "I love it, now we just have to see what his mother and father are going to say."

"I forgot about the elders," Jack joked.

Isabelle looked up at him, shaking her head. She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him softly.

"Keith looks adorable," she said. "Now we just have to work on you. Go get your butt in the shower and put this on." Looking down at the shirt, Jack made a face. "What?"

"Seriously, Belle?"

"You need to dress up. Besides, blue makes you look really sexy," she said. She grabbed his only pair of jeans without holes or paint smeared on them and handed them to him as well. "Go get ready."

"Fine, but only for you."

"Aren't I lucky? A man who actually wears what I tell him to. It's like my own personal life sized Ken doll."

"Funny, Belle."

Isabelle turned around to face her nephew who was jumping on her bed, happily. She grabbed him off of the bed and swung him around. She placed him back on the bed, this time sitting, and took a seat next to him. He looked so adorable with the new hairstyle that Jack had given him, she just wondered what his parents or grandparents were going to think about it.

"Aunt Izbelle, what's a babe?" Keith asked, knocking her out of her thoughts.

"What?" she questioned.

"Uncle Jwack, told me I would get major babes with my hair like this," the little boy replied, scrunching his face up in disgust. "But I thought Babe was a pig."

"You're a babe is a pig, just like the movie. Uncle Jack is just weird," Isabelle replied, smiling softly.

The door to the bathroom opened and Jack came out, buttoning up his shirt. He walked into the bedroom just as the top button was fastened. He looked up at the two of them and noticed the expression on Isabelle's face, realizing that he had done something wrong.

"Jack, why did you mention babes to my nephew?"

"Um…Yeah, about that…"

"I don't have time for your explanation now Jack, I need to get dressed or we're going to be late." She stood up and walked over to him, unbuttoning the top two buttons on his shirt. "Much better."

Isabelle rushed off to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Jack turned over to Keith and shook his head.

"You totally narced on me, kid," he joked.

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"Hank, I wanted to go over some figures with you while you're here," Mr. Davis, Hank's boss, said as he wrapped his arms around the shoulders of his employee and led him into the far section of the room. "Now, I was re…"

Jack and Isabelle sat on the other side of the room on an overstuff leather coach. She glanced over at him, instantly realizing his boredom. He was twirling his thumbs around one another as if he was having an unsuccessful thumb war and tapped his foot incessantly. Smiling, Isabelle wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, gently massaging the small knot out of it.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," he said, looking over at her. He gave a weak smile and then went back to his fidgeting.

"I am so going to make up for this, I promise," she whispered into his ear, kissing it softly.

"How so?"

"You'll see."

Isabelle rested her head on Jack's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around hers, pulling her next to him. She laughed softly, getting the attention of Mr. David, who turned towards the two teens and then back at Hank, who was rambling off random figures.

"You know, we can talk about this in the office on Monday morning, I brought you all here to have a nice relaxing evening. I like to find out more about my employees and their families," Mr. Davis said.

Ushering Hank back into the living room, Mr. Davis took a seat on the chair that faced Isabelle and Jack, while Hank walked over to the other one where Jane and Keith were. He looked over at his employee's immediate family and grinned. From the view of the side of his face, Isabelle didn't trust him, he gave off a weird vibe, but she listened in on the conversation anyway. Jack was less interested in hearing what he had to say. He moved his arm from Isabelle's shoulders to around her waist and kissed her neck softly, not caring if he was caught.

"Stop," Isabelle whispered, with a small laugh.

Mr. Davis caught a glimpse of the two of them and turned his attention to the two teens. Jack barely pulled away from Isabelle, glancing up only with his eyes as they were addressed.

"How long have you two lovebirds been together?" Mr. Davis asked.

"Um, about six months, I think," Isabelle answered.

"A little more than seven, actually," Jack corrected, tightening his grip on her waist.

"They're practically inseparable," Hank commented, looking over at the two of them. "But Jack's a good kid, he's got his heart in the right place when it comes to Isabelle."

Jack smiled to himself at the approval of Hank.

"Are you two planning on attending the same college?" Mr. Davis questioned.

"Um, I'm not really sure if college is in either of our futures," Isabelle replied. She looked back at Jack and placed her hand over his. "He wants to be a musician and I'm probably just going to go straight into the working world. I was the best waitress back home in Detroit."

"A musician, eh?" He looked at Jack as if he was summing him up and a small grin formed on his lips. "Do you really think that it's a wise profession?"

"My mother always told my brothers and me to follow our heart. It's worked well for my other brothers," he answered, a bit angry at this guy's audacity to question him.

"And what do they do?"

"Jeremiah is married with a kid and fights for rights in for his section of the union that he's connected with, Angel is a Marine and Bobby is a professional hockey player, he's still minor leagues right now but he's being scouted for the majors."

"Interesting professions," he muttered. His attention turned to Isabelle and he smiled slightly. "As for you, you should rethink college. Next year when you're a senior you'll be bombarded with the fact that your future is now at hand and there will be things that you're going to want to accomplish that you'll need a degree for. According to my nephew, you're quite smart."

"Your nephew? May I ask who that is?"

"You can ask him yourself, he's just arrived," Mr. Davis said, pointing to the door behind Isabelle and Jack.

Isabelle and Jack turned around to see Ian standing in the doorway. Smiling, Isabelle stood up and walked over. She wrapped her arms around, giving him a friendly hug, while Jack stared at him with a glare.

"Ian, I didn't know you were related to Hank's boss," Isabelle remarked.

"Small world," he replied.

"Yeah," Jack grumbled.

Isabelle walked back over to her seat and Ian sat next to her. Instantly, Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her to him. He felt that as long as he held her Ian would get the hint to back off.

"You know Gavin's party was tonight, right?" Ian asked.

"Yeah, I told him I couldn't make it though," she replied. She settled in against Jack's chest and smiled. "It's his last night in town. It was supposed to be just the two of us but I had forgotten that tonight was the dinner with Mr. Davis, so either way I guess it was good that I told him I couldn't go."

"You two had a party to attend?" Mr. Davis questioned.

It bothered Jack just how much the guy was listening in on their conversations. Isabelle could have jokingly said that she was pregnant and would have announced it to the entire room. Ian started in on telling his uncle about what he had said and Jack just glared at him.

"Well, after dinner you all should go," Mr. Davis said. "I mean, we're just going to be talking business around here and it will bore you to death."

"Thank you, that sounds like a great plan," Isabelle replied, smiling. She noticed the odd look on Jack's face and she turned towards him, smiling, and whispered into his ear. "We show up at the party, make a five minute appearance and then go home early. A dark, empty house, just you and me."

"I love the way you think," he replied, kissing her neck softly.

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"Five minutes?" Jack asked, as he and Isabelle stood outside the party.

"Just…Five…Minutes," she replied, alluringly. She smiled, kissing his neck gently and then opened the door, leading Jack inside.

"Isabelle!" a female shrieked, running over to her. "Where have you been?" She caught a glimpse of Jack and then smirked. "Who is this?"

"That's Jack," Isabelle said. "Jack, this is Becca."

"This is Jack? The Jack?" she questioned, pushing her hair out of her face. "Wow, no need to answer the question of where you were all week anymore."

"Yeah, he's kind of attractive, I suppose. I mean, I guess that's why I date him."

"You guess that's why you date me?" he asked, lightheartedly. He grabbed Isabelle's hand and spun her around to face him and kissed her softly, lingering on her lips for a while. "Remember now why you date me?"

"Arrogant ass," she joked.

"You have to show him off to Alex, she will freak," Becca said, laughing.

"She might try to lead him astray."

"You know I only have eyes for you," Jack replied, hugging her tightly.

"That's not all you better have for only me."

"Aw, so adorable," she said. She handed Isabelle a cup and waved her hand in the air. "I better go find my idiot boyfriend, he's not quite as loyal as yours. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure."

Once Becca was out of earshot, Jack laughed softly, shaking his head. Isabelle released herself from Jack's grip and grabbed his hand, leading him through the mass of drunken people dancing to music that was barely audible.

"Your friend is interesting," Jack commented.

"She's a good person," she replied. "A bit air headed at times but she's a good person."

"So, we're looking for the host, right?"

"Yeah, just so that there that Gavin can serve as proof that we were here."

"Okay." He let out a deflated sigh.

Isabelle finally found who she was looking for. Gavin was had light brown hair and a friendly look to him. He was in the middle of the kitchen, sitting on the table and immediately smiled as soon as he saw Isabelle, which brought innocence to his face. There was a girl resting next to him, clearly intoxicated. Shaking her head softly, Isabelle let go of Jack's hand and headed towards the table.

"Isabelle, you made it," Gavin said happily, sliding off the table. He hugged her tightly and released her once he caught a glimpse of Jack standing behind her. "This must be the famous Jack Mercer."

"Hey," Jack said, nodding towards the guy. Jack felt no animosity towards Gavin when he hugged Isabelle. He could see right through his intentions and knew they were all good. "You must be Gavin."

"Isabelle, Ian was looking for you, said you two headed here the same time but he couldn't find you," he said.

"Well, if I don't see him tell him that you saw me and that I headed home,"

"Already? You just got here."

"I know, Gav, and if your party had been any other night I would have stayed longer, but it's Jack's last night in town, so…"

"I get it," Gavin replied. "It's okay, I have to drive Sadie home. Jones was trying to pick her up. Seriously, could the man get any lower than hitting on a drunken girl who just broke up with her boyfriend?"

"Jones hit on me the first day in English class. Wouldn't leave me alone until I told him that my boyfriend's family taught me how to castrate a man with a piece of floss," she said. Jack laughed and Isabelle turned towards him. "You think I'm lying? Ask your brother Bobby what he taught me to do in the ways of self defense."

Without another word, Isabelle turned back to Gavin, waved goodbye and made her way over to Jack. She took his arm and wrapped it around her waist, knowing that she was going to miss the way it felt to have him hold her.

"Are we ready to leave?" Jack asked, kissing Isabelle's neck.

"Yes, we…"

"Jack!" a familiar voice called out. Turning around he saw Becca running towards him with another girl in tow. "Jack, we need to let you meet Alex, she's over at the stairs."

"Belle and I were-"

"Please?" Becca and the other girl pouted in unison.

"It's okay," Isabelle said.

"A hot boyfriend's job is never done," Jack replied, shrugging his shoulders in a fake conceit. "I'll be right back, baby." He bent down and gave her one more kiss before being led off by the girls.

Standing alone by the entrance of the house Isabelle heard her name being called out. She turned towards the sound of her name and smiled at the person, waving them over.

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After ten minutes of making a girl he didn't know, jealous over Isabelle and his relationship, Jack had decided it was enough and went back to find Isabelle. As he walked into the living room, passing by one girl who came onto him with breath that stank of beer and a guy in the same fashion, he noticed Isabelle slow dancing with another guy. She was smiling and laughing softly.

As Jack headed closer to the pair he saw the guys face. His hands clenched tightly, as Ian ran his hand along Isabelle's cheek and pushed hair away from her face delicately. His other hand was resting against the small of Isabelle's back and it took all of Jack's might not to run over there, rip his hands off of her and pummel him. The only thing keeping him from doing so was that he knew he couldn't stop himself once he started, he didn't want to accidentally hurt Isabelle in the process.

"Isabelle," Jack said, slowly walking over to them.

"Baby," she replied, slipping out of Ian's grasp. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I think I am," he replied. He glared over at Ian, almost as if he was silently warning him to stay away from Isabelle. "Let's go home."

Isabelle waved goodbye to Ian and then walked out of the house with Jack's arms wrapped around her tightly. She reached the car and ran over to the passenger's side, pulling Jack with her. Kissing him softly, she reversed their sides and pushed him up against the car door, pulling him down so that his knees were bent and they were face to face. She ran her hand through his hair and smiled up at him, signaling that she was ready to go home.

Reluctantly, she pushed Jack away and slipped into the passenger's seat. Jack shut her door and headed over to the other side. He started the car and turned it on, zooming down the street with music blasting from the radio.

As soon as they reached the house, they saw that the lights were still off and that Hank's car wasn't in the driveway. Isabelle smiled at the sight, or lack thereof, and waited for Jack at the front door. When he met up with her, she threw the door open and pulled him inside. She looked the door and wrapped herself around him, her arms looped around his neck.

"I love you," Isabelle whispered, planting kisses along his neck and clavicle. She reached for the buttons on the front of his shirt but he gently led her hand away.

"I love you, too, Isabelle," he replied. He took a step away from her and looked her in the eyes. "We need to talk though."

"I hate the way that sounds."

"I need to ask you about Ian."

"He's my friend, Jack. What else do you need to know?"

"He likes you…In more than just a friendly way."

Isabelle looked up at Jack with a disgusted look on her face. She shook her head fervently but took a step back, reeling from the force of the question. Quietly, Jack head into the living room, turning the light on as he passed the lamp.

"What would make you think that?" she asked. She followed him into the living room and took a seat across from him. "Besides, baby, I love you…Okay, _you_, not him."

"Then what was that dance about?"

"This is stupid, Jack. You're insecure over the fact that I was dancing with my friend? If I had been dancing with one of your brothers it wouldn't have mattered, so why does it matter with Ian?"

"Because he's not innocent in his gestures. I see the way he looks at you, the way he touches you and these thoughts and feelings keep running through my mind."

"You're jealous, Jack. Haven't you ever been jealous before?" she asked, incredulously.

"But I keep imagining you as the one who eventually betrays me."

Standing up, Isabelle glared at him, shoving her hands through her hair angrily. She paced the room unable to hide her emotions. She didn't know what to think and pacing, as stupid as it seemed, was the only thing keeping her from screaming.

"How can you say that I would betray you, Jack?" she asked calmly. "You cheated on me and lied to me about it and after taking you back because I love you and I can't picture not being with you, you tell me that you fear I am going to betray you. Where the hell do you get this idea?"

"You grabbed his hand," Jack answered.

"_I grabbed his hand_? I grabbed whose hand?"

"Ian's hand. You grabbed Ian's hand during that horror movie the first night I was in town."

"This is all because I grabbed my friend's hand?" she asked, yelling.

"No…Yes…I don't know. I just kept getting these vibes…"

"Screw your vibes, Jack. Whatever they're telling you is wrong because I love you. I don't love Ian, I don't want to be with Ian!"

"Then why did you grab his hand?"

"It was an automatic response because we haven't been around each other and he was like-"

"A replacement boyfriend?"

"My best friend in this town."

"Who's trying to get down your pants."

"You're unbelievable, Jack Mercer. I can't possibly have a male friend who isn't just a perv trying to steal me from you."

"That's not true. I have no problem with Gavin, he seemed fine. It's just Ian, oh and the coincidence that Mr. Davis is his uncle, please!"

Isabelle walked over to Jack and knelt down in front of him. She wrapped her hands around his wrists, pushing his arms to the cushions of the couch. She looked up into his eyes, pleading with him to return to normal and be the same Jack that she loved.

"I don't trust him, Belle," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Do you trust me?"

Jack knew what he should have said, knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't quite say it. He wanted to tell her that he did trust her and that he knew that she would never hurt him, but he didn't. Instead he took the easy way out, which was actually harder than it would have appeared.

"No," Jack answered, looking away.

"You bastard." She released his hands from her grip and took control of his face, forcing him to look at her. "I gave you everything I had, Jack. I loved you because I thought you were never going to hurt me, let you see things and hear things that I never showed or told people before and this is how it all ends? I wish you hadn't made our entire relationship a mistake, Jack, but you just did."

Isabelle dropped her hands from his face without so much as a lingering touch and ran upstairs. Jack watched her go and knew that it was the end of them. He knew that it was for the better. All he seemed to do was hurt her time and time again. Was he scared about Ian? Yes. But was he so scared that he had to cause the fight with Isabelle? No. But watching her face as he told how he felt about Ian and how he thought she would eventually betray him broke his heart and lost him her respect. What he was doing was for the better for Isabelle, she just needed time to realize it.

The next morning, when Jack woke up on the couch, he found his things already at the bottoms of the steps waiting for him. He stood and walked over to the phone, dialing the number for the cab company. As he hung up he turned around to see Hank and Keith standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"She's going to get over it," Hank said. "Just stay an extra day or two to make things better."

"No, it's better if I don't," Jack replied, unable to look at him.

"How is losing her better than losing a bit of your bigheaded pride?"

"Because I won't just be prolonging the inevitable," he answered. He kept his head down as he grabbed his bags and walked out onto the porch, waiting for the taxi to pick him up.

Isabelle stood by the window watching Jack standing on the porch waiting. A part of her wanted to run out there and tell him that everything was okay, that she forgave him and needed him more than she needed anything else, but she kept to herself.

"Why are you just standing there?" Jane asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied, never taking her eyes off of the sight below her window.

"Why aren't you running down there and stopping him from leaving?"

"He made his decision last night," she answered. She sighed and watched as Jack got into the taxi and took off. "He doesn't want me anymore."

Isabelle turned away from the window towards her sister. She kept her eyes cast down on the ground and wiped furiously at her eyes, trying to prevent the tears from getting far. She was unsuccessful and just gave up, letting herself slid down to the ground.

"So, this is what it feels like when the one person you thought would love you no matter what just stops."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
A/N: Please don't hurt me! This is why I decided to keep both halves of the story in one story rather than doing a sequel, cause this is a suck-arse ending. Hehehe, not that this is the ending for the "high school years" there is one more H.S. chapter and thenI get into the movie period. However, just to let you know, I will not be including Isabelle in the movie aspect of it. Confused? Well, let me put it this way, if you watch the movie, you won't be getting the scenes from the movie with Isabelle arbitrarily thrown in. She will be in it, (alas, any Jack/Belle fans may rejoice...Sort of) but in a different way.**

**Thank You:  
aragornsgirll  
Bigamericanflirt  
brandy2009  
Cheetah girl 15  
Iluvgarretthedlund (I too would like pass out if my sister well, step ever asked me a question like that, but I kind of wanted to create a more friendship relationship between Isabelle and Jane over a sisterly one. But hey, if the Mercer brothers can use the bathroom all at the same time ex. the lovely G.H. baring his cute booty scene then why can't sisters talk about sex...Yeah, I know, just creepy...oh well.)  
jsweetie79  
rae  
tylerhiltongrupie53 (ch. 3 and 5 reviews, thank you so much!)  
****Trizzy (Yes, Jack is hotter than Jake Richardson, lol, but he J.Richardson was totally gorgeous in Clerks 2 and I kept seeing him in all the previews and his image wouldn't leave my mind, so I wrote him in. Oh, well.)  
**

**UPDATE: SUPER DUPER EXTRA BIG THANKS TO_ SHINING STAR OF VALINOR_...BECAUSE 1. I FORGOT IT EARLIER, 2. SO SHE DOESN'T HATE ME ANYMORE...LOL.**


	37. The Letter, The Street, The Call

Six Months Later…

Jack walked down the pathway to his house, grabbing the mail out of the box on his way. As he opened the door to the house, he dropped the mail on the patio. Bending down to pick it up, he noticed that one of them was addressed to him. He collected all of the mail and placed the pile on the table next to the door in the hallway. He looked down at the sender's name and address and a chill swept throughout his body.

Ripping the letter open, Jack dropped his backpack to the floor and read the note silently to himself. The familiar sensation of dread passed through him and he felt uneasy, paranoid. He fell to the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest . He shoved the letter back into the envelope, folded it and forced it into his pocket. Wrapping his arms around his knees, he felt the disgust, hot breath on his neck that he felt as a child and was instantly brought back to his hell.

_"Miss me?" Henry asked, encircling the frightened boy._

_Jack pushed himself into the corner of his room, hoping to keep himself from harm. The man drunkenly stumbled towards him and grabbed his arm, pulling him up off the ground. Jack winced in pain and screamed out a bit from fear. That's when Hank's hand slammed into Jack's face, splitting his lip open._

_"Shut up!" The man screamed angrily. "Good for only one thing, Jack. Reason why you're here, you know. No one else wanted you, no one else could find any use for you."_

_Henry dragged the flailing little boy to the bed and threw him onto it. Jack hollered out for help, but no one could hear him, the house was far from any neighbors. He waited in dread for the man to start, but he was taking his time, enjoying the torture that was forced upon Jack when it took longer for him to deal out his punishment._

_"Good for only one thing, boy. No one else could figure it out, lucky I did."_

"I want you out of my head!" Jack screamed, covering his ears, as if Henry was really in the room with the teenage version of himself. "I'm good for more than that."

_"Only good for one thing," Henry repeated, running his hand along the boys face, then grabbing his shirt and harshly and hoisting him into the air._

Jack furiously wiped the tears away from his face and stood up. He ran out of the empty house and didn't stop running until he got to familiar territory. He saw the boys just like him, dirty faced boys ruined from years of abuse and with pieces of their soul missing with each car that they got into. He felt the haunted past of his that reside on 43rd Street.

"New here?" a boy asked. He was younger than Jack by a few years and he appeared to have been on the streets for a while.

"No, just ain't been here in a while," Jack replied, putting up his shield.

"Thing's changed around here," he informed him. He hand Jack a joint and shook his head. "You're gonna need it man. Numbin' yourself is the only way to survive out here."

Jack nodded at the kid and reached into his pocket for a lighter. He lit it and started to inhale the substance, letting the effects wash through him. A car turned the corner and pulled over next to Jack. The driver's side window rolled down and a man not older than thirty stuck his head out .

"How much?"

"Depends on what you want…"

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Throwing open the door, Jack ran inside, locking it behind him. He stumbled over to the kitchen. He reached for the phone and pulled it out of its cradle. He slid down to the floor, shakily dialing the number he had repeated over and over in his head. He brought the phone up to his ear as he rocked back and forth, bringing himself back to the comfort zone he had as a child, but it was no longer the same.

The phone rang continuously. Each ring came out louder and longer, buzzing into his brain permanently. He begged for her to answer, he just needed to hear her voice for one moment. The phone clicked, the sound of it being answered, and a small voice of woman, who Jack thought must have been Isabelle's sister, took the place of the ringing.

"Hello, Johnson residence," Jane said.

"Yeah, um, is Isabelle there?" Jack asked, his voice frantic.

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Jack…Jack Mercer."

"Hold on a second."

Jack could hear the phone being placed down, a child crying and Jane asking Isabelle if she wanted to talk to him. There was a momentary silence, then the stomping of feet walking towards the phone, and the brushing of it being lifted off of a table cloth.

"Hello?" she asked, her voice soft.

"Isabelle?" Jack questioned, his voice frenzied.

"Jack, baby, what's wrong?"

"I really need you right now," he said. He hit his head against the palm of his hand. "I don't know what I'm going to do anymore. I just fucked up really badly."

"Slow down, what happened?" She was honestly worried about him, her voice could never hide that. "Jack, tell me."

"Can you come here? I need to talk to someone, I just can't do it over the phone."

"Okay, I'll be there as fast as I can," she promised. "Jack, just promise me you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise."

"I'm leaving right now."

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It took Isabelle nearly two hours to get there even though she was speeding the entire time. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest and she could have sworn it took up a new residence in her throat. As she pulled up to the Mercer house she noticed none of the lights on. She threw open the car, slammed it shut, and ran up the short walkway to the door. She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge, and then resorted to knocking loudly.

"Jack, baby, you gotta open the door to let me in," Isabelle said, her voice loud enough to be heard, but still gentle.

Standing up, Jack walked over to the door. He went for the doorknob, but a wave of dizziness overtook him, and he leaned against the wall for support. He could hear a faint whisper of Isabelle's voice coming from behind the door and again tried for the doorknob. He unlocked it and slowly pulled it open a crack. Isabelle caught sight of him and shoved her way into the house, instantly wrapping her arms around him.

"You look like hell," she said.

"Missed you too," he tried to joke.

"What happened to you?" Isabelle asked. She turned the hallway light on, pulling away from his slightly, and looking up into his eyes. "You're all cut up and bruised."

"I got into a fight. I won."

Isabelle looked into his eyes, she noticed how foggy they were but made no comment. Jack felt guilty about his state, but he needed something to numb himself, even though it didn't work. Calling Isabelle was his first choice, but his second action and he regretted it.

"I know you don't approve of-" Jack started.

"Baby, that is the least of my concerns right now," she replied, cutting him off. She placed a hand against his bruised eye and leaned up to kiss his forehead. "Let's go into the living room, you look like you're about to pass out."

Jack nodded and let Isabelle dragged him into the other room. She pushed him down onto the couch and wordlessly headed into the kitchen. She grabbed a washcloth and ran it under warm water then went into the freezer and took out three ice cubes, grabbed a plastic baggie in the cupboard beside it and threw them into it. She headed back into the living room and took a seat next to Jack, reaching across him to turn on the lamp.

"Now, tell me what happened," Isabelle instructed him. She placed the cold ice against his eye and ran the warm cloth against the other parts of his face, cleaning the dirt and blood off of it.

"I went down to 43rd St., Belle," he said. She pulled the cloth away from his face and grabbed his hand so that he could hold the ice against his eye.

"Why?" she asked, softly.

"I don't know," he admitted.

"Did…Did you get into some guy's car?" she asked, looking away.

"Yes."

"Did he do this to you?"

"No, it happened after I left." He put the ice down on the table, but Isabelle quickly placed it against his eye. He reached for it, resting his hand over Isabelle's for a moment, but she instantly pulled her hand out from his. "I was walking home and I picked a fight with some drunk for no reason, I needed to let out some aggression."

Silently, Isabelle stood up. She turned so that her back was towards him. She shoved her hand through her hair as he spoke.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have called you," Jack said.

"No, I'm glad you did," she said.

"Then why can't you look at me?" he asked, hurt.

"I just…I don't understand why you would go and do something like that Jack," she answered. She turned back towards him, wrapping her arms over her chest, trying to shake this feeling of coldness. "I mean, I went through basically the same stuff, but doing what you did tonight, that's the last thing I could ever do. I don't like being touched by someone I know most of the time, let alone a complete stranger."

"I just started to think about all the things he, Henry, said to me. I started to believe them again."

"Why didn't you talk to me or Evelyn first?" she asked. She kneeled down in front of him, gently resting her hand on his knee. "Either one of us could tell you a million times over that none of what he said is true."

"And yet he's the predominant voice in my head."

Tears were flowing from Jack's eyes at that point. Isabelle pulled the melted ice away from his eye and kept her hand placed against the side of his face. His skin was rough and cold, as hot, salty tears slid down his cheek, leaving their stains.

"Don't let him have the power."

"He wrote to me," Jack said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up letter. He held it between himself and Isabelle, looking straight at her. "He got out about two months ago…Good behavior. He finally tracked me down."

"That's why you've been thinking those thoughts again," she said, more of a realization than a question.

Isabelle grabbed the letter and pulled the paper out of the envelope. She read it to herself, anger beaming from her eyes at his words. She ripped the letter into two pieces and waved it in front of Jack.

"He's not right, Jack," Isabelle insisted. "This is complete bullshit. He has no idea who you grew up to be, he has no right saying you would have been a disappointment to Helen. You're not going to turn out like him, you're going to be so much better than him." She sat down beside him, kissing the top of his head. "You already are."

Jack turned towards her, wrapping his arms around her. He felt the need to feel her warmth against him, to ward off the chilly feelings inside. She held onto him just as tight, gently rubbing his back between his shoulders.

"Come on, Jackie boy, let's go get cleaned up," Isabelle whispered, standing up and shoving the torn letter into her pocket.

Isabelle grabbed his hand and slowly led him up the flight of stairs. She opened the bathroom door and walked over to the shower, turning it on and testing the water temperature for him. Jack stood in the middle of the floor, barely moving and keeping his eyes cast down on the patterns the tiles of the floor created.

"Jack, get in," Isabelle said, tugging lightly on his sleeve.

Jack nodded softly and slowly stripped down, every part of him sore. Instantly, the water hit his bruised shoulder as he stepped into the shower. He pulled the curtain closed around him and heard Isabelle's footsteps leading out of the room.

"Where are you going?" he asked, sticking his head out.

"I'm just going to get you clothes," she answered. "Right across the hall, I'll be right back, I promise."

Nodding softly Jack watched her walk away. Instead of getting back into the shower completely he waited for her to return, clothes in hand. Something about being alone in the room felt wrong. He was scared, he was afraid to admit it, but there was no denying it.

"See, I'm back," she said. She placed the clothes on the edge of the sink and walked over to him. She placed a hand on his head. "Now go take a shower, you're a dirty mess, Jack."

Jack slid back behind the curtain and began to wash himself. The water began to soothe his aching body as he stood there, letting fall onto him. He glanced at the frosted shadow curtain, seeing Isabelle's blurred form sitting on the closed lid of the toilet waiting for him to be done.

"Isabelle?" he asked, his voice merely a croak.

"Yeah," she replied, standing up.

"Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me," she said. She stood beside the shower, resting her head against the doorframe. "I promised you that I would be there if you ever needed me to be. Nothing's changed."

"I don't deserve it."

"Maybe not, but you have it." She heard a loud knock coming from the door downstairs and sighed. "I'll go answer that. I'll be right back."

Isabelle jogged down the stairs and to the door. She pulled it open, carelessly, and smiled as Jeremiah stood there.

"Hi," Isabelle said.

"Are you insane?" Jeremiah asked.

"What?"

"You should not be opening the door so wide like that without checking out who it is first," he warned her. "You don't know what kind of people could be waiting at the other end of the door. Especially, being a girl in a town like this."

"Do not turn this into a sexist debate," she said. "Anyway, I haven't seen you in like six months and this is how you greet me?"

"It's good to see you again, Isabelle," he said. "But you sure can be stupid sometimes."

"Mwah!" she joked, blowing a kiss at him.

"Where's my little brother at?"

"Jack's in the shower," she said, turning around.

"Oooohhh," he replied, suggestively.

"Ain't nothing like that going down. He just needed a friend."

"So you drove all the way over here just to be his friend?"

"Yes. You make it sound so impossible."

"Who was that at the door?" Jack asked, coming down the stairs.

Jack was clad only in a towel around his waist, that slung far too low, which didn't help Isabelle's case any. Jeremiah looked back at her, smiling, but she just ignored him. Jack took a look over at his brother and walked over to him, acting as if nothing seemed suspicious.

"What are you doing here, Jerry?" Jack asked.

"Ma, told me to come and check on you," he said. "She told me that you didn't answer the phone and she was worried. But I guess I understand why now."

"Nah, man, it's not like that. I was out earlier, I guess I forgot to check the messages when I got home."

"What were you doing out tonight? Didn't ma tell you to stay home?" he questioned.

"Yeah, she did, but-"

"Jeremiah, Jack's a big boy, he can go out on Friday night without having to be checked on," Isabelle said. "Besides, we were talking before you got here, and it seems Jackie Boy here's got a new girl. That's why he called me over here to talk. Right, Jack?"

"Y…Yeah, that's why Isabelle's here, I just wanted to give her…the heads up," he said, barely stammering out the lie.

"Don't think that I believe you for a second."

Isabelle laughed and walked into the kitchen, turning on the lights. She grabbed the phone and played the message Evelyn had left, dialing the number of where she was at and handed it to Jack.

"Tell her you're okay," Isabelle said.

Jack nodded and pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the rings until Evelyn picked up. Isabelle walked into the kitchen as Jack spoke, Jeremiah following behind her. As walked a piece of the torn note fell to the floor. Jeremiah picked it up and was about to hand it back to her when he noticed the name on the paper.

"That asshole sent something to Jack?" Jeremiah asked.

Jack looked up from the other room and over at Jeremiah, his eyes bulging out of his head. He stammered a quick goodbye to Evelyn and ran into the kitchen, grabbing the paper out of Jeremiah's hand.

"What the hell is going on Jack?"

"It fell out of my pocket," Isabelle said.

"It's not an issue, Jerry," Jack said, his eyes cast down on the floor.

"Bullshit, it is an issue," he replied. He grabbed his brother's face and forced him to look over at him. "Tell me that you didn't do some stupid shit tonight because of this letter."

"I didn't."

"Jack, you can't lie to me."

Isabelle went to walk into the other room, knowing better than to get involved in a Mercer brothers fight, but Jeremiah grabbed her hand arm, keeping her in place. She looked down at the floor, feeling small.

"What did he do?" Jeremiah asked.

"It's not my place to tell."

"You're not protecting him by not telling me," he replied.

"I went down to 43rd St. and picked up a trick, Jerry," Jack said.

Jeremiah let go of Isabelle's arm and looked over at his brother. Jack's face instantly hardened. None of his brother's knew the truth about his past, he had been able to keep most of it secret, including everything that had happened after he had runaway from his house until the time he came to Evelyn.

"Why would you do that?" he asked, more saddened for his brother than mad.

"Because I felt worthless, I felt like I was a kid again," he said. "I needed to let out a little steam so I got into a car with a guy, I left before anything too serious happened. Then I went down a back alley and I picked a fight with a drunk. Okay?"

"No, it's not okay!"

"Well, there ain't nothing either one of us could do now. I fucked up, Jer, but I ain't gonna do it again."

"Tomorrow you're going to the clinic, you don't have a choice," Jeremiah said.

"I didn't do anything. I got the hell outta there before anything got serious."

"I don't care little brother. You're going." He looked over at Isabelle and then back at Jack. "It's late, you two should get to bed."

"Yeah, I should head home any-" Isabelle started.

"I didn't say anything about home, I said bed," Jeremiah corrected. "It's too late for you to be driving around by yourself. You're spending the night here."

"But-"

"No buts, now go," he instructed.

As Isabelle reached the top of the steps she walked over to Bobby's room, thinking that it would be best if she spent the night there but she felt Jack's hand wrap around her wrist. She looked back at him, noticing his pleading eyes that expressed what he wanted to say, but knew was unnecessary. Isabelle let go of the doorknob and followed Jack into his room without a second thought about the repercussions that it might cause.

Jack opened the door and Isabelle smiled at the fact that it hadn't changed much. Letting go of her, Jack walked over to his dresser as Isabelle walked over to the bed. She saw her picture on top of the headboard and smiled. It felt good to know that he still thought about her in a good way.

"I couldn't take it down," Jack mumbled, searching through his drawers.

"I always hated that picture, I look horrible," she muttered, shaking her head.

"I love it," he replied, looking up at it. He eyed the picture with a smile and walked over to it, picking the frame up and running his hand along the outline of her face, frozen in a half smile and eyes cast down towards the floor. "This is who you are. Understated beauty and grace, the only person I thought I would be able to love."

"Amazing how time changes things," Isabelle said, looking away from him. "Look, it would probably be best if I just took Bobby's ro-"

"Please stay."

"Do you have any clothes for me to change into?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Jack placed the picture back on the headboard and walked over to the drawers, pulling out a t-shirt and sweat pants for her. He handed them to her and she walked out of the room, heading towards the bathroom. As soon as the door shut, she slid down to the ground, covering her face with her hands. She wanted to scream but she resisted the urge.

Standing up, she looked at her face in the mirror and stared at her reflection for a moment until it made no sense. Her face was no longer her own but merely an array of shapes that formed a picture. She turned the water on, splashing the cool liquid on her face and then took a look back up.

"Just tell him," she said, with a sigh. "If only it were that easy."

Isabelle quickly changed and walked back into the bedroom, where Jack was already sitting on the bed, dressed in his pajama bottoms and nothing else. She tried to ignore the fact of how he looked, after all it was more than the towel had been, but still it was hard to not stare at his body.

"Let's get to bed, I have a long drive home tomorrow," she blurted out.

Shutting the lights out, Isabelle climbed into the bed and rested head on the pillow. Instantly, she felt Jack's arms wrap around her, his head resting on her chest. In the darkness of the room, a single ray of light from the streetlamp lit Jack's face. She looked down at him, noticing just how like a child he was. Gently, she ran her hand through his still damp hair and kissed his forehead.

"Try to get some sleep, okay baby?" Isabelle asked in a motherly tone.

Jack made a soft sound of contentment and tightened his grip on Isabelle before trying to sleep. Isabelle, on the other hand, stayed awake watching Jack just incase he needed her.

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"Did you have another nightmare?" Isabelle asked, pressing her hand to Jack's forehead softly.

"Yeah," he whispered.

Isabelle reached over him and turned on the lamp. She looked down at him, beads of sweat on his face and chest. She sat up, kissed the top of his head gently, and held him in her arms.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"It's the same damn thing over and over again. It's the third time I've woken up tonight because of that bastard," Jack said, angrily.

"I know," she replied.

Isabelle looked over at the clock. They had only tried to go to sleep two hours ago and Jack kept waking up from nightmares concerning his past. If he had never gotten the letter from his foster father none of this would be occurring.

"Maybe we should forget about sleeping for a while," Isabelle suggested. "We can go downstairs and watch some late night infotainment."

Jack nodded and stood up from the bed. It was a cold night, but from the state of him you couldn't tell. Isabelle slowly slid out of the bed as well and wrapped her arms around him protectively. Just as he felt an obligation to protect her no matter what, she felt the same need. It was never work for her though, she loved him and knew she always would, despite the many times she tried to convince herself that she no longer did.

The two of them headed down the stairs, not letting go of one another. As soon as they reached the bottom of the steps, they noticed the light in the kitchen was on. Evelyn's voice, stern and filled with a low angry growl escaped from the room. Jack stopped walking and switched positions with Isabelle so that he was holding onto her, her back pressed against his chest. He listened to Evelyn, never had either of them heard her so mad.

"…No, I understand well that threatening you won't get anything done but if I have to come down to that station and nothing is done I swear someone will pay. He is not supposed to be harassing my boy," she said, her voice raised and frantic. "It do not care if you say he didn't break any law by sending a letter, that it technically didn't violate the restraining order…Do not tell me to calm down…He is causing an upset in my house with his form of so-called acceptable contact…That's it, I'm coming down to the station and you will have to deal with me face to face…"

Evelyn heard a soft noise coming from the other room and saw Isabelle and Jack standing off to the side. She looked at her son kindly and hung up the phone. She crossed over towards him and placed her hand on the side of Jack's face.

"I'm sorry, Jack," she said.

"It's not a problem," he said, monotonously.

"Miss Evelyn, can't you update the restraining order and have a no contact policy thing added?" Isabelle asked, resting her hand against Jack's.

"I am on my way to find out now. And to give that rude officer a piece of my mind. No one calls me an old bat and gets away with it," she replied, smiling softly. She grabbed her coat and threw it on. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Will you be okay by yourselves?"

"Of course, I'll keep an eye on him," Isabelle joked. Jack didn't laugh.

As Evelyn left the house Isabelle pulled out of Jack's grasp, but held onto his hand and pulled him the rest of the way into the living room. She sat down on the couch, pulling him down beside her. She reached for the remote and handed it to Jack, as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"What do you want to watch?" Jack asked, softly.

"I don't care, you choose," she replied, honestly. She was more than content just to sit there with Jack beside her, feeling secure that he wouldn't have anymore nightmares.

Jack wrapped his arm around her waist and rested his chin on the top of her head. He began to flip through the channels, not stopping on one long enough to even get a clear image of what was on the screen. Isabelle closed her eyes, not even bothering to try to figure out what was flooding past her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She nodded and mumbled something, that wasn't clear to either one of them. When she heard the clicking of the remote stop she opened her eyes and saw that Jack had flicked onto some station showing one of those old fifties shows with the mothers who wore pearls and had dinner on the table when their husband got home from work. She laughed bitterly to herself. What would it be like if she or Jack had grown up in a household like that instead of the hells that they had been given.

"Do you ever wish that you had grown up like that?" Isabelle asked. "You know, with the perfect mom and the perfect dad? A house with a garden, a white picket fence and a dog named Spot?"

"No," he admitted. "I would have lost so much if I hadn't had the history I did."

"You mean, like Evelyn and your brothers?" she questioned, pushing her back against him.

"Yeah…There's you, too."

"I'm not worth it, trust me, Jack."

"I still love you," Jack said.

Isabelle looked up at him and shook her head softly.

"You don't Jack," she replied. "You love the idea of me, the idea of us."

"No, it's you." He gently rested his hand on the side of her face, running it against her cheek. "I love you, Isabelle. It's six months later and you're all I think about. I can't stop loving you, no matter how hard I try."

Isabelle released herself from Jack's grip and stood up. She walked a few feet away from the couch and looked over at him, before letting her eyes drift to the ground. She needed to confess to him and it was now or never.

"Jack, you were right," Isabelle said.

"Right about what?"

"About Ian. He did want something from me."

"What happened?"

"I slept with him," she admitted, shaking her head. "It was a week after we broke up. I was upset and I needed a shoulder to cry on. Before I knew it we were kissing and then…Look, it just happened. I regret it, but it happened."

"Okay, we all make mistakes, Belle. I love you, nothing you did while we were broken up matters to me," he said, standing up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her but she pushed him away. "That's not it, is it?"

"No. I'm seeing someone," she admitted. "I have been for four months. He's a really great guy."

"Who?"

"Gavin."

"Did you fuck him too?" Jack asked, harshly. When he had met the guy he had no problem with him, but now that he knew he was with Isabelle his anger rose and he couldn't keep it to himself. "Come on, Isabelle, tell me. Are you the town slut now?"

"What the hell is your problem, Jack? One minute you're telling me that you love and the next you're calling me a slut. What happened to the boy I loved?"

"He found his girlfriend fucks anything that moves."

"Fuck you! I didn't fuck him for your information. The only guy I ever fucked was Ian and that was because I was hurt and I tried to find comfort in the arms of someone because I didn't know what else to do. He told me that he knew me and that he cared about, he said all the right things just to get in my pants. But I was so blinded by sadness that I let my defenses down and didn't care! And just so you make this clear in your warped mind, I'm your ex-girlfriend."

"You're wrong about something, Belle. You fucked me too, or did you forget about that?"

"I never fucked you, Jack, it was more than just fucking with you."

"I didn't it see as much more than that."

Isabelle knew that he was just saying it all out of anger but she felt her stomach tie up in knots and clench tightly. She bit her bottom lip to prevent herself from crying, then turned away from Jack when she couldn't control the tears from falling down her face.

"I rather stay in a fucking hotel than deal with your shit," Isabelle muttered.

Isabelle didn't bother to get her clothes that she had left upstairs, just grabbed her purse and headed out the door to her car. Jack stood there in the darkened room lit only by the television set and heard the loud start of Isabelle's engine and the squeal of her tires as she pulled away from the house.

Quickly, Jack ran up to his room and grabbed the picture frame off of the headboard and threw it onto the floor. He stared down at the broken glass that used to encase Isabelle's face and fell back onto his bed.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
A/N: I hope you enjoyed the teenaged versions of Jack and Isabelle because the next time you read they will be adults (well, not adults, but not teenagers, so whatever comes inbetween those two). The next chapter will be from the movie period. So I hope you all continue to read! Much love, XNegAttentionX.**

**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt  
Brandy2009  
Cheetah Girl 15  
Cujo  
_Shining Star of Valinor_ (Ignore that last PM...I figured it out. Also, just like I promise, bolded, italized and underlined!)  
Trizzy**


	38. A Leather Jack and A Familiar Face

November 2005…

Jack stood outside of Jerry's house, leaning against the wall, unable to go inside and be with the rest of his brothers. He hated how everyone was going about, happy and smiling while they were all joined to mourn Evelyn. He felt sick to his stomach every time the realization that she was no longer going to be there for him hit him. He brought the cigarette in his hand up to his lips and inhaled the smoke deeply, letting the warmth of it take him over.

Daniela and Amelia ran past their uncle, giggling softly as their clothed dog chased behind them. Jack smiled at them, they had an innocence that wouldn't let them understand the harshness and cruelty that this world was filled with. He wished that they could have that forever. He wished that he could have ever had it. He felt a hand press down on his shoulder with strength and compassion and turned around to face his eldest brother.

"You okay?" Bobby asked.

"Would you please stop asking me that?" Jack muttered, throwing his cigarette to the ground and stamping it out with his foot. "I'll be fine."

"It's just you were closer to Ma than…"

"I need to get out of here," he said. He pushed himself away from the wall and started to head away but felt Bobby following behind him. "What?"

"Where you going?"

"Away."

"Where away?"

"I want to visit ma, okay?" He turned to face Bobby, looking him straight in the eyes, then looked away. "I need to visit her."

"Me and Jerry'll go with ya," Bobby said.

Before Jack could object Bobby called out to Jeremiah and the three of they were heading towards their cars, Jeremiah took his own so that he wouldn't have to worry about someone driving him home. Jack slipped into the backseat of Bobby's car. It was the safest bet, even if he was a horrible driver. If Jack had driven with Jeremiah, there would be numerous attempts to get him to talk to his brother, to open up. With Bobby, however, sitting in the back of the car meant there was practically a wall between the two of them and there would be no talking of any kind.

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Isabelle walked over to the grave, her eyes watering hopelessly. She knelt down in front of it, the dirt still fresh with only a light layer of pure white show covering the brown, frozen earth. She placed her hand over the engraving, letting her fingers trace letters which formed the surname 'Mercer.' Pulling her hand away from the tombstone she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to ward off the cold. She felt this sense of being watched and immediately after it felt someone draping something over her shoulders.

Standing up quickly, the jacket that had been placed over her fell to the snow covered ground. She turned to face who was behind and was surprised at the sight. The only person she ever knew but never knew stood there. His eyes, too, were filled with tears, a cigarette hung carelessly out of his mouth and he was jacketless, a scarf was the only thing on him that gave any indication that it was cold outside.

"You looked cold," Jack said, the cigarette somehow staying in between his lips as he spoke.

Isabelle took a moment to take in the sight of him. His hair had darkened and his faced looked pale and gaunt. He had filled out slightly, but there was something about the way he held himself that made it seem like he was unaware of the changes. His eyes were the only thing that had not changed. Still those same blue pools that made expressed his innocence and understanding, slightly jaded by the world but still pure.

"I'm okay," Isabelle replied. She picked up the leather jacket and handed it back to Jack, unable to look him in the eyes. "I'm sorry for what happened."

"Thank you for your condolences," he said, coldly. "It's nice to know you could make it back here. Even if it was late."

"I made a decision not to show up to the funeral for your family's sake, I didn't want to cause a disruption."

"She was practically your mother and you didn't show up 'cause you were afraid to face me. Very classy, Belle."

"I came back here to honor the woman who practically saved my life, I didn't come back here to fight with you, Jack. So leave it be."

Isabelle turned away from him and went to walk out of the graveyard when she felt someone grab onto her arm. She turned towards him, ready to pull away but he caught her off guard. As she turned towards him, he pulled her closer to him, throwing his cigarette to the ground and pressing his lips against hers. Jack pressed his hand into the small of her back, holding her as close as he could. She didn't resist at first but after a moment, she pushed him away violently, breathing heavily. She slapped him angrily and took a step back.

_Jack stood on the stage of some dirty night club, glaring down at Isabelle. It had been a year since the two of them had broken up, but she had been told by Bobby that he was playing a club in her town. She went alone to see him perform, secretly just wanting to see him. He looked a mess, ripped clothes and hair worse than when he was a teenager. His skin was pale and unhealthy, he was too skinny for his height. His bones stuck out anywhere visible. It was the life of the single, poor rock star that he had wanted for so long. _

_After a couple of songs, Jack turned back towards his band. He whispered something to them and then turned back around to the crowd. His eyes focused on Isabelle and he smirked deviously. He pressed his lips to the microphone, keeping his eyes on her the entire time. The small, but loyal, crowd cheered as Jack began to sing._

_"Is it still me that makes you sweat/Am I who you think about in bed/When the lights are dim and your hands are shaking as you're sliding off your dress/Then think of what you did/And how I hope to God he was worth it./When the lights are dim and your heart is racing as your fingers touch your skin./I've got more wit, a better kiss, a hotter touch, a better fuck/Than any boy you'll ever meet, sweetie you had me/ Girl I was it look past the sweat, a better love deserving of/Exchanging body heat in the passenger seat/ No, no, no you know it will always just be, me…"_

_Isabelle felt the pain that he wanted her to feel. He wanted to hurt her, took pleasure in it. He wasn't the same Jack she had known. That Jack was gone forever. She wrapped her arms around herself, leaving the dingy club and all her leftover feelings for Jack behind._

Isabelle snapped back to reality. She glared at Jack, shaking her head and wrapping her arms around herself to ward off the cold from the weather and from the memory. She wanted to feel like she used to with him. She wanted the safety and warmth that he once gave her, but all signs of the Jack she loved had vanished.

"I am tired of this revenge you're trying to get on me. This was a most inappropriate time," she said.

"It wasn't about revenge," Jack said, holding onto her arm. "I didn't kiss you to get back at you. I did it because…"

Jack at Isabelle's eyes, he knew he couldn't explain it to her. How could he tell her that when he saw her all of his feelings for her came back to him? He wanted all the nights of endless one night stands and guilt to fade away as he broke down and told her, knowing she was the only person who truly understood him. He wanted to be seventeen again and lying in his bed with her beside him their limbs intertwined as they talked about their pasts or their future, but never doubting that they would always be a _they_. Always tied to one another.

It was too late, he decided. He turned off his emotions, which had become second nature to him again over the past few years, and continued.

"...I thought I could at least get a pity fuck," he lied, his voice harsh.

"When did you get so cold?" she asked, more disappointed than mad. "You didn't used to be like this, I could never have cared so much about you if you had been."

"People change," he replied, bitterly. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag. "You used to love me."

"I do…Did love you."

"So much that you left me?"

"It was my family."

"I thought I was, too. I thought they were," Jack said, pointing towards his brothers who were hanging out around Bobby and Jerry's cars. "I thought she was." He pointed towards Evelyn's grave.

"You were, you all were, but in a different way, Jack," she said, pleading for him to understand.

"In the way that it doesn't matter if you stayed or left?"

"If I remember correctly, you broke up with me."

"So letting that Ian guy paw you the night we broke up."

"We were dancing."

"It doesn't matter, he was all over you. Then sleeping with him weeks later. Getting over me so easily that you dated Gavin so soon."

"Two months, Jack. It took two months for me to believe that Gavin actually wanted to date me after the incident with…You know what, I don't have to apologize to you." Isabelle shook her head softly, bringing a gloved hand up to her face and wiping away the tears sliding down her cheeks. "I am so glad she can't hear us now, Jack," Isabelle said, referring to Evelyn. "She would be so disappointed in the both of us. Fighting over something neither one of us had any control over."

"You had control over screwing Ian," Jack replied, his excuse for so long.

"After we broke up, Jack," she said. She pressed her hand against his cheek, running her thumb along his cheek where she had hit him. "You only used that as an excuse. Besides, didn't you cheat on me a week into our relationship? You're a hypocritical bastard."

Despite the harsh words that escaped her lips she was so gently in the way that she said them. She rested her hand on his face and looked away as she pulled her hand from his cheek. She took a step closer to him and stood on her tip toes, kissing his cheek innocently.

"I should get going, I told Jane I would be home in an hour. She's going to be late for the night shift if I don't."

"Before you go, can I ask you something?" Jack questioned.

"Sure."

"Are you still dating Gavin?"

"No." She shook her head softly, looking down at the snow. She started to remove her glove and held her left hand up to him. "We're engaged."

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A/N: I know that it's short, but I needed to set something up to start the beginning of it. Also, need a bit of help with something coming up in the story. I kind of want someone's opinion on whether or not it is coming out well. If you want to help, there's a HUGE spoiler in it, and can keep a secret please IM, Email, or PM me. Thank You.  
The song Jack sings is called "Lying Is The Most Fun A Girl Can Have Without Taking Her Clothes Off" by Panic! At the Disco.

Thank You:  
bigamericanflirt (Aw, thank you! Just keep reading to see what happens between the two of them...Might be something, ahem, interesting...lol.)  
brandy2009 (I'm glad you are loving the story! Makes me smile that people like and want me to add more!)  
Cheetah girl 15  
EbonyRose02 (Yep, Jack was an idiot. No need to apologize for not reviewing the past few chapters at least you are still reading!)  
i run with scissors  
jsweetie79  
Shining Star of Valinor (Yeah, I know I totally overused the "f" word in that last chapter, but it's totally my favorite curse word when I fight with people! lol. As for the F bomb thing in your class, that is so something I would do! Luckily, I never took physics. As for Gavin being kicked in the nads, well, he's supposed to be the nice guy. And post soon!)

Please Review and you'll get a nice little thank you like these ones of your very own!

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	39. Catching Up and A Ruined Moment

Jack woke up the next morning and stared up at the ceiling, enjoying the momentary silence. He knew that last night Angel had brought Sofi home, it was apparent from the noises emitting from his brothers room. He also knew that the moment Bobby woke up he would sense that she was there and the silence would be a distant memory.

Stretching out his long limps, Jack slid out of the bed, yawning loudly. He walked over to his window, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He caught a glimpse of someone standing outside his house. He stood there for a moment, watching her as she sat down on the staircase, pulling her jacket tighter around her.

For a moment Jack wanted to make her wait out there in the cold, to not acknowledge the fact that Isabelle was sitting out there, presumably waiting for him to come out. Then the better side of him came out and he began to worry if she was cold and how long she had been waiting out there. He headed towards his bags that rested on the floor in front of his bed and pulled out clothes. He threw them on over his long johns and t-shirt, then headed down the stairs, quickly but quietly, as to not wake his brothers.

Jack grabbed his jacket, throwing it on, and upon placing his hand upon the doorknob, he could feel the cold air escaping through the tiny cracks in the door. He released his grip and walked over to the couch, grabbing the blanket that hung over the edge of it. Walking back to the door slowly, he could see her from the window again and he couldn't help but flashback to when they would sit out on those very steps, late at night, huddled together for warmth and talking about nothing and everything at the same time, feeling for a moment like they were the only people that existed.

Jack stepped out onto the porch and into the cold air. Carefully, he draped the blanket over her shoulders and she murmured softly a word of thanks. Jack silently observed Isabelle as she sat there, staring out at the street, deep in her own thoughts. He looked so peaceful and beautiful, obviously content with what she was doing. Content with not just that moment, but with her entire life. Jack smirked thinking to himself that there was something so much better than being content, it was being passionate. He wanted her to know that, but he knew it would sound like a come-on. Which, in all honesty, it would have been.

"So, what are you doing out here?" Jack asked.

"Waiting for you," she replied. She glanced up at him as he took a seat on the step that her feet were resting on. From where he was now sitting they were at eye level and she couldn't avoid looking into his eyes, the same ones she used to love to look into all the time. "I figured you would come out here and take a cigarette break. You used to sneak out of bed and come out here every morning because you knew I hate smoking and you thought I wouldn't be able to tell that you had just been doing so."

"You knew?"

"Of course, how could I not have? I would wake up and you wouldn't be holding me. Then five minutes later, I would pretend to still be sleeping and you would ever so quietly sneak into the bed, kiss me on the neck or wherever you felt was looking particularly kissable that morning, and your breath would minty fresh. Never once did I wake up to you having morning breath."

"Yeah, I guess that should have been a clue."

"Plus I would sneak out of bed and watch you from the window, wondering what you were thinking about in those solitary moments. Just you and your thoughts." She pulled the blanket tighter around her and sighed. "Much like when you were staring at me from that same window barely three minutes ago pondering whether or not to acknowledge that fact that I was out here waiting."

Jack let out a coarse laugh and looked over at her, amazed that she knew. Not that he should have been surprised, she was always more knowledgeable than she led on. He looked down at his cigarette and Isabelle could tell that he was contemplating chucking it. She rolled her eyes and sighed.

"What you do to your body now doesn't bother me, Jack. It's not any of my business," she said.

Jack looked over at her, narrowing his eyes for a moment and brought the cigarette up to his lips. He breathed in the smoke and let it slowly escape through his nostrils, flaring them slightly. The moment in between holding his cigarette in his hand and taking a drag of it, Isabelle could have sworn she saw a look of disheartenment on Jack's face but she dismissed it, figuring it was nothing.

"Why are you waiting out here for me? I mean, we didn't leave on such good terms yesterday," Jack said, zipping up his jacket.

"That's why I'm here, because we didn't part on such great terms." She looked down at her feet, which just next to his knees and exhaled loudly. "I'm sorry, the way I told you about Gavin and me wasn't exactly tactful."

"And slapping me?"

"Oh, you totally deserved that," she joked, smiling.

"Love you, too," Jack said. He paused for a moment, an awkward tension filing the air between them. "Too early to joke around like that, huh?"

"No, of course not. We've been broken up for a while. There's a time limit on embarrassing moments, so, we can joke like that."

"Over explaining everything, Belle," he replied, cracking a grin. He looked over at the side of her downcast face and shrugged. "So, you drove three hours just to tell me at seven in the morning that you were sorry for being a bitch to me yesterday."

"Okay, first off, I was only being a bitch because you were being a prick-bastard, secondly, I didn't drive three hours, I drove like three minutes," she said. She looked up at him, noticing the furrow of his eyebrows and how his cocked to the side slightly. "Evelyn never told you that I moved back, did she?"

"No."

Truth be told, Evelyn could have tried to tell him, but he wouldn't have heard it. Every phone call Jack had sent home she had tried to mention Isabelle but he would cut her off of stop listening, finding it too painful to hear if she was happy or sad. He had wanted to get past the pettiness of everything, but he couldn't find it in himself to do so.

"Yeah, I live in my old house," she informed him.

"You live in that place?" he asked with disgust in his voice. "Why?"

"Because we couldn't afford to live anywhere else and according to Mr. Leary's will, the house was left to me."

"Will?"

"Let's just say he got what he deserved." She looked out at the street, suddenly feeling ashamed for being so bitter. "I shouldn't-"

"He deserved worse than what he got," Jack assured her. "I swear if Bobby hadn't tore me off of him that one night…" His voice trailed off and he looked out at the street like Isabelle was doing. "So, you said 'we' live there. I'm assuming Gavin and you."

"Yes," she replied, nodding her head. "And Haven, Jane and Keith."

"What happened to Hank?" he asked.

"Um, Hank and Jane didn't really work out. He ended up cheating on her. My model of a perfect relationship went down the drain quickly after that," she muttered.

"He didn't seem the type."

"Oh, he was, I think it must have been the girl's genes."

"Jeans, as in denim, or genes…"

"Genes with a 'g'."

"Why would you say that?"

"Her name was Helen Davis…Mr. Davis's niece…Ian's older sister. That family sure does love to ruin relationships," she answered, raising her eyebrows slightly.

Isabelle noticed Jack tugging on the sleeves on his leather coat and she slid down a step so that they were shoulder to shoulder. She unwrapped part of the blanket from her and held it out to him, motioning him to move closer to her. As he did, she carefully rested wrapped it around him. He slid even closer and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Can I ask you something?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah, of course," she replied. She wanted to look up at his eyes, see what he was thinking, but instead she just kept her head resting on his shoulder. It was more comfortable that way. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, I just…Do you know what happened to Mr. Leary?"

"After I found out he was in the hospital because of Bobby I didn't care. When I moved in with Jane I forgot all about him and the drama, I didn't care if he was still hospital or out of it, because he didn't know where I was. After a year, I got a letter from him, so I knew he survived the Bobby beating, but I never opened it. Then six months ago, when Jane was going through the divorce and we were living in this crappy little apartment that we couldn't even afford, I got a call from a lawyer saying that it was urgent, that I should contact him right away so that we could discuss that matter of Mr. Leary's estate. I went, quite unwillingly, and I found out that he took the coward's way out one night after getting loaded," she answered. She sighed and moved closer to Jack, feeling comfort when she was beside him. "I was so angry when I found out because I knew that I would never have the chance to confront him and tell him what I really thought of him. But not one part of me was sad. I had no sympathy for him."

"You shouldn't have any," Jack said.

"Thanks for that. I can't talk to my other friends like I can with you."

Jack looked down at Isabelle but could only see the top of her head from their positions. He pulled his hand out from under the blanket and gently ran it through her hair, trying to comfort her. He tried to convince himself that it was just a friendly gesture, but he knew it was much more than that as soon as his fingers entangled in her hair and the smell of her shampoo rose to his nose.

Quickly, after realizing that he was crossing the boundaries, he stood up. As he rose, he accidentally pulled the blanket with him and it tangled around his feet, causing him to fall to the wooden patio with a hard thud. Isabelle, startled, looked behind her to see him laying there, an embarrassed grin spread across his face.

"I, um, I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the family, I just realized I have to put the turkey in," he blurted out.

"Okay," Isabelle said, standing up. She walked over to him, then knelt down, gently loosening Jack from the grip of the blanket. "You know, I could help, if you need some."

"You can't cook Isabelle."

"Well, I could be good company," she replied, quickly. "I mean, how much hockey, tits and beer talk can you deal with from your brothers in one day?"

"Yeah, you're right."

Jack got up from the floor and opened the door, holding it for Isabelle as she stepped into the house. She stood beside the doorway, waiting for Jack to walk in the rest of the way first, incase she ran into one of his brothers.

"You can go to the kitchen, it hasn't move, Belle," Jack said, laughing.

"Idiot."

Isabelle walked into the kitchen, Jack following behind her. He stopped walking for a moment and just watched her as she walked. He couldn't but to let his eyes wander slightly, to the sway of her hips as she moved. He was smirking to himself when Isabelle's voice shot out at him.

"Stop staring at my ass, Mercer, I'm a betrothed woman," she said, without looking back at him.

"I wasn't…"

"Sure."

Isabelle turned around to face him, smiling because she knew she had caught him. She started to turn around and walk into the kitchen but she heard her name being called out and then a short statured but burly man stomping into the living room, a grin spread across his face.

"Izzy, long time," Bobby said, grabbing hold of her. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said, smiling lightly. She pulled out of his grasp and held her hand up to him. "Engaged."

Bobby examined the ring like he knew what he was doing and laughed.

"What'd he get that thing outta a cereal box?"

"Not that it matters," she started, looking down at the ring, "but he got it from Tiffany's."

"It looks fake…He was probably gypped."

"Same old Bobby."

"Different Izzy?"

"Nah, I'm still the same. Just engaged."

"Money changes people," Bobby muttered, walking away. He turned back towards Jack and Isabelle and smirked. "Behave you two. I'm off to go get some beer."

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Isabelle sat at the table as Jack bent down to check out the turkey in the oven. A thought had been nagging her for the two hours that she had been there but she couldn't find the courage to ask him. He slowly stood up and turned towards the table and smirked, saying something that Isabelle didn't catch. He grabbed a chair from the underneath the table and turned it around so that he straddled it as he sat.

"Is something on your mind?" Jack asked, resting his head on the top of the back of the chair.

"Not really," she replied, shaking her head. She laughed and brought her hand up to her face, closing her eyes momentarily out of embarrassment. "Actually, yeah."

"What's up?"

"You seem to be taking Evelyn's passing well. Anyone special in your life helping you with it?"

"No. Life of a wannabe rock star. Can't afford a girlfriend."

"So you just get things 'accomplished' by groupies backstage?"

"Perhaps."

"You're disgusting," she said, laughing.

"I missed you," Jack said, without thinking.

"I've missed you."

Isabelle smiled weakly and stood up, walking over to the stovetop, noticing that the water was boiling. She went to turn around to tell Jack but as she did he was standing right there. She almost fell backwards, dangerous close to the boiling pot, but Jack's arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her up against him. Both of them began to breathe raggedly, unable to act normal. He was looking at her in this dreamy sort of way and she suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, catching his gaze.

"I'm sorry," he replied. His voice was sincere, he was sorry for making her feel uncomfortable with his gaze, but he still couldn't look away. "It's just…I haven't seen you in a while."

"Please, Jack, stop."

Regretfully, he stopped looking at her and let go of her body. She began to chew on her lip, he could see it out of the corner of his eye. A silence took over them and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her, do anything that would allow him to do anything he imagined after all those years. To touch her, taste her, feel her, smell her…Be with her.

"Maybe, I should go home," Isabelle suggested, pushing past him and walking towards the door.

"You don't want to go home," he said. He walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her. "You want to stay." He pressed his lips against her neck, the way he had when they were younger and wanted to end one of their fights. "You said yourself that you missed me."

"That doesn't mean anything," she replied. Her heart was beating faster, she knew Jack could tell. "Yes, I missed you. But-"

"But nothing," he said. He turned her around so that she was facing him. "You want this just as much as I do."

"I-"

Before she could say anymore Jack kissed her. She resisted at first, but soon gave in. He pushed her up against the door, wanting to be as close as possible to her. She moaned inwardly, as he pulled away and moved to her neck. Jack's hand slid across her stomach, beginning to play with the buttons on her shirt. He had unbuttoned all but the top one when the door slammed against Isabelle's back.

"What the fuck is blocking the damn door, Jack?" Bobby asked.

"What the hell am I doing?" Isabelle whispered, pulling away.

"Don't go," Jack whispered into her ear.

"I have a fiancé."

Isabelle quickly shoved past Jack, grabbed her coat, and ran out the back door as Bobby made his way in. Jack watched her leave, shoving a hand through his hair. Bobby dropped a case of beer on Jack's foot, snapping him out of his state.

"Shit, man!" Jack yelled.

"Sorry, Jackie boy, you were in my way," Bobby said, simply. "Why the hell were you blocking the door?"

"You had to come home now?" he asked angrily.

"What's up your ass?"

Jack shook his head disgustedly and ran up the stairs to his room. He knew he shouldn't have kissed Isabelle, but he couldn't resist.

Collapsing on his bed, he looked over at the picture by his bedside. It was one of the few pictures he still had of her after the breakup and the only reason why he had kept it was because Evelyn hid it on him. She had hated the way he spoke of her when he and Isabelle broke up, but she knew it would pass.

He reached over and picked up the picture frame, staring at the picture of Isabelle and him. Jack grabbed the phone and began to dial her cell phone number, but it was directly to the voicemail. He hung up then tried her house. It rang for a while then went to the answering machine.

"_You've reached Isabelle-"_

"_And Gavin._"

"_We're not home right now, so please leave a mess-_"

Jack hung up furiously. He hated the sound of Gavin's voice, it grated on his nerves. He hated the fact that Gavin could be with Isabelle, spend his nights in her arms and that he, Jack, would never be able to again. He took the phone and threw it at the wall. It broke and landed all over the floor, but he didn't care.

He looked down at the picture frame and opened it up. He held the photo out in front of him, ready to rip it up he heard a familiar voice and looked over to the end of his bed. He sat up, seeing Evelyn sitting there, looking the same she had the day he and Isabelle broke up.

"_Jackie, you're so sensitive. It's a good aspect of your personality but you have to understand there are more than just feelings in this world. There's logic and reasoning. I know one day you will look back at this and you won't feel the same way as you do now. You will look back and remember how much you loved her and you'll regret anything you might have said or done in a fit of rage or pain,_" Evelyn said.

"Love is a feeling, ma, I thought you said there were more than just feelings in the world," Jack said out loud.

"_But love is a logical feeling,_" she replied. "_Hate and anger, they're illogical. Those were the feelings I was talking about._"

Jack looked down at the picture again, running his thumb against Isabelle's lips. They were happy in that picture, Jack and her, and he didn't understand why they couldn't be that way again.

"I understand now," he said, turning back towards the end of the bed, but she was already gone.

Jack walked back down the stairs and slipped into the kitchen just as Bobby finally realized the Sofi was inside the house. He could hear them yelling and he smiled sadly to himself.

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**A/N: Sorry for the long wait! I've just had a lot to do and a total lack of inspiration for the story. Hopefully this is adequate for now. Also, I got a whole mess of reviews for the last chapter. You guys have no idea how much it means to know that people are reading my story and commenting on it! Please continue reading and reviewing!**

**Thank You's:**

**Bigamericanflirt (haha, I love that song from Panic! At the Disco, it just fit so well, right?)  
brandy2009 (Jack may be an idiot, but he's a hot idiot...So...lol)  
Cheetah girl 15 (I can't kill Gavin...He's the good-bad guy...Good because he's nice, bad because he's in the way...lol, he's "The Baxter"...Okay, I so hope I am not the only person who knows what I am talking about lol.)  
cujo  
Dragon 3712  
EbonyRose02 (Wow, you remember things that happened in previous chapters...You might know my story better than I do...lol.)  
Hardy's Gurl (Damn two days! Wow, that's kinda a compliment that it only took you two days to read my long ass story...lol.)  
HelloByHNplusJB  
Iluvgarretthedlund (I think this chapter kinda of redeemed Jack, made everyone mad at him again, and then redeemed him once more...Sorta...lol. But he's not as conceited as I may make him appear to be, he's just hurting.)  
i run with scissors (Still not happy...It kinda won't be for a while...sorry!)  
jsweetie79  
LaLaLover  
Shining Star of Valinor (Hahaha, I think I've said this before, but Manwhore is like my favorite descriptive insult ever! LOL, I love it. Sorry about them being cold to one another...At this chapter they were warm towards one another...for a bit.)  
Verona Sage (Awww! I glad that my writing can actually affect a person to the point of finger nail torture...lol, did that make sense, it's early/late and made sense in my head, but not really in words.)**

**Please Review! I'll love you forever! And it'll be your birthday gift for me! Please? LOL, I am so whoring my story...lol.**

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	40. The Only Comfort He Has Left

"Jack, you wait here," Bobby said, as he and Angel ran over to the shooters' car.

Obediently, Jack waited a safe distance from the flipped over vehicle. Through the blizzard conditions and the light emitting from the remaining headlight, he could make out the figures of his older brothers standing over the criminals as they viciously beat them. He could feel his heart begin to beat faster and his stomach clench tightly. He tried to remind himself that these people killed Evelyn, that they deserved worse than what Bobby or Angel could do, but it didn't seem to work. All he could hear were their screams of pain, which made him sick to his stomach.

Jack hated violence more than anything in the world because he grew up around it. He always said that he would never be like his foster father, never be angry and belligerent, so instead of becoming what he hated, he was the opposite, just the sound of people being hurt made him sick to his stomach. Those rare times that he was involved in something violent, he would become ill and guilt stricken. As he watched his brothers at that moment, avenging the death of his mother he felt the unease and pain forming in his body, but he knew it had to be done.

Only moments after he had come to terms with what was going on, he heard two loud gunshots sound out. He quickly pressed one hand to his head, closing his eyes tightly. His breathing increased into a pant and he opened his eyes, letting them glaze over and stare out at nothing as his two brothers emerged from the storm like they were characters in an old western. Guns still in hand, the walked over to Jack, no longer vicious avengers, but his brothers.

"They dead?" Jack asked, unsure of what had truly happened, as they all ran back to the car.

The entire car ride home, Jack didn't say a word. He stared out the window, pondering things that he should not have been pondering. Did they have families? Surely, they were someone's kids, but did they have their own kids? Were they going to be missed? Jack just couldn't bear the thought that his family could be the cause of another kid to end to end up in a bad foster family. He could feel the tears well up in his eyes. He shouldn't feel sorry for them, they had no sense to stop and think about Evelyn's family before they senselessly murdered her. Evelyn wouldn't have wanted this, he knew it.

Before he could really get himself worked up over it, the car pulled into the driveway. Silently, his brothers stepped out, but Jack remained, he just wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

"Hey, fairy, ya gotta get outta the car," Bobby said. Jack looked up and over at his brother but made no attempt at leaving the car. "Come on, Jackie, I gotta dispose of this shit before someone finds 'em in the street. Which won't be that long."

"Sorry," Jack murmured.

Jack got out of the car and walked up the pathway to the house, but Bobby reached for his arm, keeping him from going into the house. Looking up at his younger brother, Bobby searched for some sign telling him that Jack would be okay, but he couldn't see anything, his eyes were lifeless.

"You didn't do nothin', you ain't gotta feel guilty," Bobby reassured him. "Jack, even if you did do somethin', they deserved it. They killed ma. No one fucks with a Mercer and gets away with it."

"Is that all?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah, just tell Angel to come out here, I gotta talk to him."

Nodding softly, Jack walked into the house. He signaled for Angel to go outside as he walked over to the living room. He knew that Bobby was just trying to be helpful, but what he had said made matters worse. His motto of 'No one fucks with a Mercer' wasn't the thing Jack needed to hear to get over it. Jack could tell that even Bobby had realized it, as he was telling Angel to keep an eye on Jack while he took care of disposing of the car. He closed his eyes and pressed his back against the wall. A moment later the door swung open and Angel walked in. Jack heard the car pulling out of the driveway and turned towards his brother.

"I'm going to bed," Jack said, hoarsely.

"Jack-"

"I'm fine," he stated, cutting him off. He walked up a few steps and then stopped. He looked over his shoulder at Angel, his eyes still distant, and sighed. "Don't bother checking up on me later, my door'll be locked and I'll have my headphones on."

"Bobby told me to make sure-"

"Tell me what Bobby thinks I'm going to do exactly."

When Angel remained silent Jack laughed harshly and continued up to his room. Throwing the door open he reached for the light, but as soon as he turned it on, it blew out. He slammed the door shut behind him, locking it just as he had told Angel he would be doing and collapsed onto his bed, lying down on his back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his lighter for some source of light. As he flicked it open, the glistening of light off of something on the floor caught his eye. He flicked it open again and caught site of the picture he had broken and not bothered to clean up on thanksgiving. The light glimmered off a piece of broken glass that rested just above Isabelle's face.

Without a second thought or even a first thought, Jack got up from his bed and walked over to the window. He lifted the window open, it made a soft crackling noise from being frozen to the bottom of the sill. He carefully climbed out of his window and made his way down to the ground below.

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Isabelle sat on the couch, the light beside it turned on high and a book in her hands. She tried to read the page in front of her but repeatedly read the same paragraph, unable to concentrate. She felt this uneasiness in the air around her and she was just waiting for it to come into focus. Glancing out the window and noticing the state of the weather she feared the worst. The sky was pitch black with the exception of the snow that fell from the sky, causing the already unsafe roads of Detroit to become icy and even more dangerous.

Closing her book, Isabelle placed it on the coffee table in front of her. She stood up and walked over to the door, wanting a better look at the weather. As much as she loved snow, she couldn't help but to feel some trepidation. For some reason, it intrigued her. She unlocked the deadbolt and the doorknob, then slowly turned the handle, pulling the door open. She jumped back as a figure standing in the doorway appeared.

Quickly, she backed away from the door, nearly falling to the floor. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute, she could feel the blood rushing through her body. The figure moved its head and the light from the living room lamp flashed onto his face. Isabelle walked back over to the door and observed Jack's face for a moment, taking in the sight of a boy who seemed to have lost something. She noticed wet spots on Jack's face but couldn't tell if they were from tears or the snow. As she walked a bit closer, she could tell that they were both. She reached out for his hand and pulled him into the house. She leaned towards him so that she could lock the door that was behind him. As she pulled away she was surprised by his reaction.

Jack wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. He rested his head on her shoulder and she could feel the sobs escaping him. Putting her hands against his back to comfort him Isabelle inadvertently pressed him closer to her. She didn't know why he was crying or why he came to Jane's house, she wasn't even sure if Jack came there to see her, but she just knew that she needed to console him. As she went to pull away she felt Jack grasp tighter onto her, needing to have her connected to him. Gently, she pried herself out of his grip but looked up at him, reassuring him that she wasn't going anywhere.

Bringing her hand up to his face, she felt the coldness of the snow on Jack's cheek mixed with the warmth of his tears. She gently wiped them away from his face, never taking her eyes off of his. He had stopped crying but there was still a hollow, empty sadness to his face. Isabelle desperately wanted to know what had happened, but talking about it wasn't going to help him at that moment. She knew that he just wanted to forget whatever had it was. She could understand that and didn't ask any questions.

Isabelle removed her hand from Jack's face and ran down it his neck to his shoulder. Her other hand rested against the other shoulder and slowly, they slid beneath the heavy leather of his jacket and pushed it off of him. The jacket hit the wood floor with a soft thud. Underneath was a jean jacket, Jack rolled his shoulders and it fell off and down his arms to his elbows, then let it drop to the floor, piling on top of his over jacket. Isabelle didn't know what she was doing at that point and took a step closer to him. She ran her hands through his wet hair, it pushing out of his face, as he sniffled softly. Slowly, her hands moved down towards his chest, running over the mangled iron-on British flag and she felt the urge to pull it over his head. Jack must have noticed it because he started to raise his arms, making it easier for her. Instead of fighting the urge, Isabelle grasped onto his black t-shirt and pulled it off of him, leaving the long sleeved gray one under it still on.

Without missing a beat Jack slipped his hand beneath the fabric of Isabelle's baggy hoodie and let it fall to the floor. Neither one of them had let their eyes leave the others and Isabelle felt the intenseness of Jack slowly start to take her over. Jack gently ran his hand along her shoulders, letting his fingers slid beneath the straps of her shirt. He twisted the straps around his large fingers, carefully pulling them up and over her head. Jack returned his hands to her shoulders, pushing the straps of her bra off of her shoulder, wanting so desperately to kiss her shoulders, taste her skin.

A wave of fear washed through Isabelle and she looked away, unable to look into his eyes any longer. Jack instantly removed one of his hands from her shoulder and placed it on her face, gently pushing it up so that she would have to look him in the eyes. She bit her lip softly, an old nervous habit that never seemed to go away. Jack smiled through his sadness, remembering how she used to do that so often when he would look at her a certain way and took a step closer to her so that there was nearly no room between the two of them. Wrapping one of his hands around the back of her head and the other around her waist, Jack pulled her up against him.

Both of their hearts were beating fast and their breathing became harsh and unsteady. With their chests pressed up against one another it was hard to tell whose heart beat was whose. Jack leaned towards her slowly, giving her enough time to back away if she wanted to. She didn't move. Pressing his lips to hers, he felt his already quick heartbeat grow faster and irregular. Once he tasted the kiss that she gently returned, he couldn't have enough of her. Their second kiss was more demanding, lips smashing together and teeth colliding. Jack slowly led her backwards, pushing her up against the wall. She pulled away slightly when her back hit the wall and reached down for his belt. Hastily, she found the buckle and undid it, ripping it out of the loops on his jeans.

Smiling, Jack reached for the button on her jeans and unfastened it, then slowly unzipped them. Isabelle pushed Jack back a bit and he stumbled, nearly falling, but somehow managed to keep his grip on her tight. She felt his hands slid beneath her jeans and over her lower stomach. She continued to kiss him and pulled him backwards, down the hallway and towards the bedroom she was occupying. She pushed him up against the door and felt his arms lift her from the ground. She reached for the doorknob behind him and opened the door. Jack backed into the room and made his way towards the bed without knowing where he was going.

Jack swung around so that as they fell onto the bed Isabelle was beneath him. He smiled and moved his lips to her neck, smelling the familiar scent of her perfume and feeling the soft texture of her skin on his lips. She tangled her fingers into his wet hair and sighed as he moved his lips to her shoulders, kissing them feverishly. Laughing softly, she scooted further back onto the bed and welcomed his kiss again as he slid on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his waist, tugging lightly on his jeans. Getting the idea Jack pulled away slightly, reaching down and sliding his jeans off of his waist. He then pushed Isabelle's already opened jeans off of her waist, following them as they slid of off her skin. She sighed as Jack's breath tickled her skin.

Once both of their jeans were scattered on the floor, Jack slowly slid his body back up hers, stopping at her stomach. He ran his hand along her scar, gently massaging the raised, white skin. He kissed it, firmly placing his hands on either side of her waist, keeping her in place as his tongue gently traced the area. Isabelle smiled at the feeling of moist heat on her skin.

Isabelle grabbed hold of Jack's hands and pulled him up to her. She lifted his arms high above their heads and pulled off the layer of clothing on Jack's chest. She ran her hands along his chest and then over his back, taking in the new feeling of his muscles. As she examined his back, she felt his hands creep up her back, starting to unhook the clasps on her bra. Tugging it off the front of her, he threw it behind him, catching the strap onto the post of the footboard of the bed.

Jack looked down into Isabelle's eyes, suddenly nervous. She smiled reassuringly, wordlessly telling him that it was okay. There were no need for words between the two of them at that moment, actions were all they needed. Jack leaned back down to her, kissing her softly and running his hands underneath the fabric of her underwear. Isabelle wrapped her arms tighter around him, grasping firmly onto him as he began to remove the fabric from her hips. Isabelle smiled, knowing it was now her turn to pull the last article of clothing off of Jack. She leaned up towards him, kissing him softly as he hands trailed down to the waistband of his boxers. She pushed them down off of his waist and dragged them down the rest of the way with her feet.

Shivering slightly, Isabelle wrapped her arms around Jack's neck, looking straight into his eyes. She noticed the soft quiver that came from her body and instantly attributed it to being cold. Without removing his body from hers he grabbed the blanket from the foot of the bed and wrapped it around the two of them. Leaning towards her, Jack softly kissed her neck, slowly leading up to her lips. He kissed her passionately, keeping his eyes open and on her the entire time. She returned the kiss, gently biting down on his bottom lip then capturing it in between her own lips. She opened her eyes, surprised by Jack staring down at her so intently. He smiled softly, brushing his hand along her cheek and kissing her skin as his hand left it. Isabelle closed her eyes again, savoring his touch and arched her back so that her stomach pressed into his.

She wanted to remain in the moment longer. The moment before anything really happened but after all the emotions had already started. Isabelle missed the way it felt when Jack loved her but at that moment, it all came back to her. She felt every word he had said to her in the past, every loving touch he had placed on her skin or the kisses they shared. Seeing past all the jadedness that had overcome Jack's face after all those years, Isabelle saw the teenaged boy that she had been in love with. At that moment nothing else existed, not Gavin nor the pain of harsh feelings. It was just them.

Jack had forgotten about the events that had taken place only an hour earlier. His mind was focused on Isabelle and they way she made him feel better easily. He kissed her softly, a small puckering noise escaping their lips as he separated from her. He looked down at her, her eyes wide open and looking up into his. He grabbed hold of the side of her face by placing one hand to her cheek, then removed it, gently letting it trailer down her neck.

There were a million words going through Jack's head at that moment. He wanted to tell her each and every one of them, but knew that he should choose his words carefully. Since he had never been eloquent he just let the moment pass between them without a word being said, just his kisses to show her how much he loved her. He figured he would be able to tell her later.

Later, as Jack and Isabelle lay in her bed, limbs intertwined, he looked down at her. In the moonlight, her skin glistened beautifully. She was clinging tightly to him, just as he was to her. Her eyes were only half open as if she was waiting for him to speak before she determined whether or not to feign sleep. He leaned close to her ear, ready to whisper to her the he loved her but as he did he saw the picture of Isabelle and Gavin that rested on her bedside table. Isabelle glanced up at him, not saying anything, just watching him and waiting. He looked away from the picture and down at her, kissing the top of her head.

Isabelle settled back in against his chest, slightly confused by his reaction to her since she hadn't noticed what he had seen. His arms tightened around her waist as her foot gently ran down his leg.

"Good night," Jack whispered, for a lack of better words to say.

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A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Glad people haven't given up on my story!

Thank You:  
aragornsgirll (I don't make them together? lol, I think they were kinda together in this chapter...lol. Any better?)  
Bigamericanflirt (Yeah, sorry about that, I had a massive lack of inspiration for the story, I almost actually didn't want to continue. I am glad that you enjoyed that chapter though.)  
EbonyRose02 (Oh, of course Jack will have to do some serious making up, lol, but he's not done being a stupid ass, lol, I have one last truly insensitive or perhaps too sensitive thing for him to do, before he can redeem himself. About you review for chapter 38, you were completely right! I love that you analyzed the character lol. Also, what I meant about her not being included in the drama was like, you know, she's not mysterious going to be thrown into the scene that previously existed in the movie. Which you probably understood before I made that needlessly redundant comment, but yeah...)  
HelloByHNplusJB (Hot idiot...Yep, that pretty much sums him up...lol. Oh, as for the "I want them to be together so bad, it hurts!" part of your last review, does this chapter make up for it a little bit? lol. And Happy Birthday to you whenever it may be! I'm guessing the 31st, since that's like 5 days from the 26th...lol.)  
Iluvgarretthedlund (Nah, Isabelle will never learn to cook, lol, hence why she and Jack are two people supposed to be together just in my opinion, you know, like things she can't do, he can do and vice versa...lol.)  
LaLaLover (What is with people wanting Gavin to die? lol, the poor fictional character has barely said a complete sentence in the entire story and everyone wants him off'd...lol. And thank you for the fabulous crazy person singing and dancing for my birthday, lmao...Sadly enough, my friends did the same to me but on top of it, forced me to wear a tiara all day.)  
sadvirtue (Thank you!)


	41. They All Fall Down

**You can all rejoice for two reasons...1) The amazing person that is me has finally updated (jk, please don't throw tomatoes at me) and 2) the story is almost over! Only a few more chapters (probably 4, possibly more, possibly less, but close to the number).**

**Be warned, I don't really like this chapter. It didn't come out the way I had wanted it too, but please continue on and bare with the parts that suck.  
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Jack sat in the backseat as Angel and Bobby tried to work out the situation at hand. Apparently, they believed that Jeremiah had some part in their mother's death, and while that may have been a possibility, one that his two older brothers believed wholeheartedly, there were major doubts in Jack's mind. Jeremiah wasn't the type to sellout. He was a union man and if he never sold-out on the picket lines fighting for better wages, then why would he have Evelyn killed for a few grand?

"I ain't playin' no more. I'm gonna go in there and bust the melon and find out what he's thinkin'," Bobby said, angrily, as the sat outside of Jerry's house.

"Whoa, hey," Angel said, nearly having to grab Bobby to prevent him from exiting the car.

"His family's in there," Jack interjected. He knew what his Bobby and Angel has suspected Jerry of doing, but he still couldn't see the point in causing a ruckus in front of his family. After all, they were all that Jerry had left.

"Bobby, you're gonna have to calm down, man," Angel replied, agreeing with Jack.

"I don't give a shit, man. Oh, I'm calm. I'm calm."

"Let me just call him."

"He thinks I'm an idiot. Thinks I don't know what the fuck is goin' on," Bobby muttered to himself, as Angel dialed the number.

"Jerry…It's Angel…Look, man, we need to meet up first thing tomorrow at mom's house."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"Calm down Bobby."

"We still family, right?" Angel asked, pausing and waiting for his brother's reply. "Yeah, man…Okay."

"Is he comin'?" Bobby questioned.

"Yeah"

"Good," he said, leaving Jack worried that tomorrow would be a worse day than he had originally thought.

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Jack walked into his room, slamming the door behind him. He didn't want to believe that his brother would do something to hurt their mother, he couldn't believe it. He closed his eyes and leaned against the door, trying to sort things out in his head.

"You left me waiting for a long time," Isabelle pouted.

Jack looked over at his bed and saw her sitting there, her legs swinging back and forth in a bored fashion. There was a book in her lap, which made him smile, knowing that not much had changed since high school. He slowly walked over to her, his smile never fading. Isabelle stood up to greet him and wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes so that she able to look him straight in the eyes.

"I thought we were supposed to meet up at nine."

"I forgot you were coming over tonight," he whispered. He kissed her neck gently as his hands roamed the front of her shirt gently. "It's a nice semi-surprise to end a crappy day."

"What happened?" she questioned, slightly distracted by the feel of Jack's hot breath and wet kisses on her neck. "Is everything all right?"

"Bobby's just being paranoid," he answered, switching sides of her neck. "I really don't feel like talking about it right now. I just want to get lost in you. Kiss you…Hold you…Undress you…"

"You have ideas," she said, laughing softly.

Jack nodded fervently and gently pressed one of his hands to the side of her face. He looked down into her eyes, needing to just look at her for a moment, to take in the sight of Isabelle.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing," Jack replied. He smirked and kissed her. "I just really love looking at you." He pushed her shirt away from her shoulder, so that he could kiss her shoulder and smiled as soon as his lips made contact with her skin. "There's something I wanted to tell you the other night but I couldn't."

"More words?" Isabelle implored, closing her eyes. "What is it?"

"I love you," he whispered, before mashing his lips to hers. "That's more than just words."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, you see, those words…They come with actions," he said. He smiled against her neck and bit down on her soft skin playfully, as he hazardously led her back towards the bed, falling onto it with her underneath him. "Really fun actions."

"Oh, really?" She laughed and pushed him away slightly so that she could look up into his eyes. "Will I like them?"

"With insurmountable certainty, I can say yes, you will."

"Good choice of words. Big words coming from your mouth, very hot."

"Exactly why I learned it. However, I'm not sure I used it correctly," he replied, jokingly, as he fumbled with the buttons on her shirt.

"Doesn't matter," she replied. She leaned up to him and kissed him, bringing his body back down to hers. She gently moved to his neck, then kissed his earlobe. "You can't unbutton my shirt, Jack, the buttons are snap-ons. Just rip it off."

Laughing softly, Jack pulled away again and started to unsnapped her shirt, a smirk forming on his lips with the sound of each area unclasping. Isabelle laid on the bed, watching Jack's hands as the gently undid the snaps and then slid the shirt off of her shoulders. He laid back down on top of her and kissed her gently, taking her face in his hands.

"I love you," he whispered again.

Before Isabelle could say anything, Jack was attacking her lips vehemently and she was quickly lost to his touch.

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Isabelle slowly woke up, feeling the warmth of Jack's body pressed up against hers. His hands were gently resting on either side on her waist, his fingers so long that they reached her stomach. She moved slightly, wanting to get a glimpse of him sleeping, but as she turned in his arms, she was surprised to see him already awake and grinning.

"Did you go to sleep?" she asked, pressing a hand to the side of his face. Jack merely shook his head no and then gently kissed her lips. As he pulled away she laughed. "Not minty fresh. You didn't even take a cigarette break."

"Nope," he replied. "So how bad is my morning breath?"

"Terrible," she replied, kissing him again. "Disgusting."

Jack laughed as Isabelle slowly rolled on top of him, still kissing him. His arms tightened around her body, holding her tightly to him. As she pulled her face away from his, she looked down into his eyes, holding his gaze for a long moment. One of his hands slid from her waist, up the length of her torso to her neck and eventually reaching her face, the entire time the two of them silent and looking directly into one another.

"Wait, morning breath. What time is it?" Isabelle asked, placing her hand over the one that Jack had left on her waist.

"Five," he replied. He kissed the nape of her neck, his hot breath running against her skin lightly. "Go back to sleep."

"I can't," she said. She slipped out of his hands, bringing the sheet with her. She walked over to the other side of the bed, collecting her clothing. "I have to go."

"Now?" He slipped out of bed and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "It's dangerous out there. Stay until it's daylight at least. Bobby and Angel don't wake up until ten, at the earliest. You can sneak out without being heard easier in the morning light than in the dark, Detroit night."

"I told Gavin I'd be home at two. He thinks my shift ends at eleven and that I was going out with Haven afterward," she blurted out quickly.

Jack dropped his grip on her waist and took a step back. He watched as she hurriedly dressed under the cover draped over her body. She threw the sheet off her body like a second skin and turned around to face him, the distraught look on his face illuminated by the moon light that snuck in through the crack of the blinds on the window.

"You lied to Gavin about being with me?" Jack questioned.

"I didn't tell him what happened the other night. When he came home he was so happy about getting this big promotion, I couldn't tell him."

"Couldn't or didn't want to?"

"You know how I feel about you," she replied, dismissively.

"No, I don't. Tell me how you feel about me," he instructed, looking directly into her eyes.

"This is childish," she muttered. She looked away from him, shaking her head and stared to walk away. She walked past Jack but he reached out for his arm and held her near him. "What?"

"Tell me how you feel. Because I don't know." He dropped her arm and shoved his hands through his hair. "I thought you loved me, that you wanted to be with me."

"I do."

"No, you would have told Gavin what happened the other night if you did."

"It's not as easy as you think, Jack."

"Like hell it isn't."

"I can't just turn to him and go, _'Hey, while you were away on that business trip I fucked my ex-boyfriend and I am giving a five year relationship and engagement because there might be something between him and me'_."

"Might be?" he asked, almost yelling. "There is no fuckin' 'might be' with us. Okay, I love you. I want you. I would never hurt you."

"I've heard that before. Didn't matter much back then either. You broke up with me because you though I might cheat on you and that you didn't trust me, after you swore that you would never hurt me. Well, get a fucking clue, Jack, that hurt like hell."

"And who did you let pick up the pieces and fuck it up even more? Ian, the guy I thought you would cheat on me with. I guess my claims weren't all that unjustified, now were they?" he implored.

"Yeah, fine, I screwed Ian. Then Gavin came along and he picked up the tiny mess that Ian made and the huge disaster you did. Jack, you may claim you love me, but you're the only person who knows how to hurt me that badly. Maybe, I'm afraid of risking it. Maybe Gavin is the back-up guy, but he'll never hurt me and he loves me."

"You will always love me more than you love him. At night when you're underneath him, you'll think about me," he whispered, walking over to her so that his lips were right next to her neck. "You'll taste me when you kiss him and you'll cry out my name, just like you did tonight. Because physically you might be with him, but in your mind you're with me. And you know what that makes you? A dirty whore."

Isabelle quickly turned around and slapped him hard across the face but he barely faltered. Her jaw jutted out to prevent herself from crying, a trick she taught herself long ago. She took three big steps away from him, grabbing her jacket from the floor and took hold of the doorknob.

"At least I won't be alone and miserable for the rest of my life. And this, this is exactly why I didn't tell him what happened. I can't trust that you're doing anything but playing a game when you're being nice."

"Just go home to your little lap dog of a fiancée and see if I care."

Isabelle walked out of the room and ran down the stairs. As she reached the bottom step she noticed almost too late that Bobby was standing there, looking up at her. She took a step backwards, nearly falling backwards over the step she had just jumped off of.

"What are you doing up?"

"What happened?" Bobby questioned.

"Nothing."

"Like hell nothing happened, you're about to cry and you're sneaking out of the safest damn house in Detroit to go onto the bad streets at five in the morning because you felt like a walk?"

"I'm fine, I just realized that I don't like your baby brother that much anymore."

"Yeah, I kinda heard it all. You two ain't quiet when you fight, it's worse than when you two fuck."

"You heard what he told me? What he called me?" Isabelle questioned, closer to tears then before. Bobby nodded softly and watched as she wiped furiously at her eyes. "Dirty whore…I guess it does run in the family. Mr. Leary used to call my mother that. I'm just like her, aren't I? Married, or engaged, to one person but screwing another."

"He had no right to call you that," Bobby said.

"No, he had every right. Everything else he said was true, that might as well be."

"Izzy…"

"I have to go or Gavin's going to be worried."

"He loves you."

"Gavin? I know."

"No, I meant Jack. He's just hurting. You can't say that you're completely innocent in this situation."

"I never said I was and I don't pretend that I am," Isabelle replied. She looked down at the floor and shrugged. "I really have to get home."

Isabelle pushed past Bobby and ran out the house.

Meanwhile, Jack sat on his bed, fully dressed in fresh clothes feeling that the ones Isabelle was nearly torn off him hours before were tarnished. His notebook was open in his lap as he furiously wrote something out. He heard a knock on his door but ignored it. Only seconds later, the knock became a pounding that he could not ignore.

"Bobby, leave me the fuck alone!" he yelled at the door.

"No," Bobby replied. He pounded of the door and yet again Jack tried to ignore it. Frustrated, Bobby kicked the door and it flew open.

"You broke my door!" Jack yelled.

"You shoulda opened it," he stated simply. He walked over to his brother and sat down on the edge of his bed. "You're a fuckin' asshole, you know that, right?"

"I'm an asshole?"

"Yes, you don't call someone a whore."

"Oh, this coming from the king of morality. What the fuck did you call Sofi the other day?"

"Let me rephrase that, you never a call a respectable woman a whore. You fucked up bad, Jackie."

Jack scowled at him and then looked down at his notebook, reading the words he had just written silently. He tossed the pen on top of it and looked over at his brother as he walked out of the room. Bobby was just going to leave it at that, _You fucked up bad, Jack. _Jack felt like shit just from that one comment. He collapsed against the headboard of his bed and looked out at the wall in front of him. Moments later, he picked the pen up again, he has something more he needed to say and he felt that if he didn't write it out right at that moment he would never get the chance to.

Four hours later, Jack had completed it. He looked out and noticed that it was light outside. He reached for the phone to call Isabelle, unafraid of it Gavin answered it or not. Just as his hand wrapped around the receiver, he heard Bobby call him out. He knew that Jerry was walking up the driveway for their meeting. He let go of the phone and left his room, notebook closed and on the bed. As he descended the stairs, he felt his stomach clench tightly, something was wrong. He ignored it and his foot hit the floor. He walked over to the couch, plopped down onto it as Bobby went to hide in the hallway and Jerry came into the living room. Angel started to yell something but Jack barely paid attention, his mind on Isabelle, adding things to the conversation only now and again.

Safe in his little world, Jack was able to basically ignore his brothers as they fought, more violent then their usual rumbles. However, his thoughts were brought back to the matter at hand when he heard the doorbell ring. Afraid that the neighbor had called the cops on them, Jack got up from the couch and walked over to the door.

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Okay, my internet connection sucks and I had all these thank yous already written out and posted but when I noticed an error in the story and went to fix it, my internet connection kicked me off in the middle and I after editing it, it was lost to the world, so I have to write these all over and since its 3 in the morning now, they won't be as good as they were before, sorry.**

**Thank you **

aragornsgrll  
Bigamericanflirt  
brandy2009 (I don't like how this one turned out, so it's not better, lol, but I promise the next one will be.)  
caligrl14  
Iluvgarretthedlund (LOL, but the picture created tension, lol!)  
iszgarretthedlund (Wow, you read the whole story in like two days! Come on, admit it, you fell asleep at some point. LOL, thank you for reading and telling me what you think, it's very appreciated.)  
jsweetie79 (business trip...lol)  
LaLaLover (Haha, I so didn't realize what I typed and edited it, sorry for the mix up...lmao.)  
SarcasticRockinLC (I'm glad you love the story, thanks for the compliment on the chapter! Although, I second the notion that if you were there that would make things a wee bit creepy...lol.)  
Shining Star of Valinor (Peaceful Panda in my mind? Yes, because Jack is ever so Zen like. Oh, and yes they did the deed, lol, and you calling Isabelle a cheatin' liar, what is with that? lol, because I know if I didn't let them get in on I would have gotten a review from you asking me why I didn't have them "cha cha under the covers" lmao, JK. Loved the stripper b-day card, btw, lol, and your school seems like more of a prison than a school...I mean, hello, guys can't make make-up, sorry, but I am a full-fledged member of the "Suckers for a Guy in Eyeliner" club, I would not be able to deal with your school...But hey, it's your last year, the best one, trust me.)


	42. A Goodnight's Sleep

_"Your mother was a whore," a guy said, walking away from the Mercer household, his middle finger raised high in the air._

_"Hey, look, fuck you, man! I will kick your-"Jack yelled, cut off by a snow ball to the face._

_Letting out a growl of frustration and anger, Jack wiped the snow from his face and ran off of the porch. He bent down to the pile of snow and picked up a handful to throw back at the guy, never slowing his pace._

_"Son of a bitch! Piece of shit!"_

_"Jack!" Bobby bellowed from inside the house._

_The guy turned around to reveal he was wearing a hockey mask beneath his hoodie, like the one that Jason wore in the Friday the 13th movies. Jack stands there for a moment too stunned to move. The guy pulls out a gun and points it directly at Jack. The sound of the bullet leaving the chamber shatters the quiet morning and pierces the upper right side of Jack's chest. He falls to his knees, looking up at the shooter, knowing the imminent danger his is. He can hear his name being shouted from inside the house once again, as the masked man points the gun at his head. _

The phone rang out and Isabelle jumped up from the bed, covered in sweat. Even though she was awake she felt like she was still in the nightmare. As she moved her hand towards the phone she still hears Jack screaming out in pain for Bobby and the sounds of bullets soaring through the Jack. As she places the phone to her ear, she can hear Bobby screaming out Jack's name in the back of her head.

"Hello," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Izzy, it's Bobby."

"What happened to Jack?" she asked, fearing that her nightmare was more than a dream.

"He's in the hospital," Bobby replied. The usually cool, calm Bobby was overtaken by emotion as he muttered curses beneath his breath. "Belle, he was shot."

Isabelle's grip on the phone loosens and it falls to the floor with a loud thud. She can hear Bobby's voice barreling out of the speaker of it but she can't process it. Everything around her feels like it's spinning and the memory of the recent nightmare that turned out to be more replays in her head. This time it's more graphic, she can feel the brisk air against her skin, hear the gun going off as if the bullet soared past her own head and finally experience the bitter, metallic taste of blood on if her mouth. She gingerly touches her lips, expecting to see the crimson substance envelop the tips of her fingers but instead her hand returns with nothing. A loud cry of her name bellows from the phone and Isabelle looks down at it. She bends over to pick up the phone and places it to her ear.

"I'm here."

"What happened?" Bobby asked, clearly worried.

"I dropped the phone," she replied monotonously. "What hospital is he in?"

"Harper Hospital, but I don't think you should drive here, give me an hour and I'll send Jerry to pick you up."

"No, you guys should be there with Jack. I'll just call a taxi."

"Isabelle…"

"Bobby, don't worry. I'll be there in a little bit."

Hanging up the phone, Isabelle slipped out of the bed. He motions were mechanical, it felt like someone else was moving her body for her. She padded her way over to the bathroom and looked up at her reflection in the mirror. A queasy feeling rose in her stomach and she closed her eyes tightly, trying to ward it away. However, it began to intensify, sending Isabelle rushing over to the other side of the bathroom and kneeling down in front of the toilet, releasing the bile from her stomach.

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Isabelle walked into the emergency room, searching for one of the brothers. She spotted Bobby by a coffee vending machine, beating up the plexiglas covering. She ran over to him, grabbing onto his arm tightly. Instantly, Bobby threw his arms around her. For the first time since she had heard the news she was no longer on automatic and let herself breakdown in Bobby's grip.

"Shhh, he's gonna be okay, Izzy," Bobby whispered, holding her closely. "He should be gettin' outta surgery soon."

"Surgery?" Isabelle questioned. She quickly pulled away from him, wiping the salty, hot tears from her face. "What do you mean surgery?"

"A bullet nicked a major blood vessel near his heart. But it was just a nick, they said that it wouldn't cause any permanent damage and that his shoulder was worse than it."

"What happened to his shoulder?"

"The bone kinda shattered, but it's nothing. He'll heal," he insisted.

"Shattered and major vessel, not exactly words that mean nothing," she replied.

Isabelle wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the cold and looked over at the waiting room. Angel and Sofi sat in the corner huddled together, both of them obviously worried about the situation. On the rare occasions that she had seen them together they were usually fighting, or making noises that she didn't want to hear, but at that moment they were loving and caring. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room and she saw Jerry and Camille a little bit away from them. Their two little kids were on the floor just in front of their parents, playing with the toys that every waiting room had, smiling and laughing, oblivious to what was going on as their parents talked in a hushed whisper.

Slowly, Isabelle walked into the room. She walked both couples and headed towards the distant corner of the room, settling herself in a chair there. She kept her arms wrapped around herself, though she was no longer cold, and just stared off in the distance. Bobby returned both of his brothers' worried looks and walked over to Isabelle, kneeling down in front of her.

"Maybe you shouldn't be here. You might need some time to process all of this," Bobby suggested.

"Don't feed me a line of bullshit, Mercer, I know you too well, you're not this sensitive," she whispered harshly, but low enough that Daniela and Amelia couldn't hear. "Now please stop telling me what I should do. I'm a grown up."

"I'm just trying to help," he said, defeated, standing up and taking the seat closest to her. "Pardon the fuck outta me."

"Bobby!" Jerry yelled. "Watch your language."

"You really want to help me?" Isabelle questioned, leaning forward in her chair. "Then help me take back the things I said to Jack this morning. Find me a way to stop myself from telling him that he was going to end up alone and miserable for the rest of his life. Help me tell him that I know it's more than just a game. But if you can't do that then leave me alone because you are worthless to me."

Isabelle collapsed back against her chair, bringing her knees up to her chest, resting the heels of her feet on the edge of her chair. She shook violently from the sobs escaping her body. When she opened her eyes all of the brothers with the exclusion of the one she truly wanted to see were gathered around her.

"I'm sorry, Bobby, I didn't mean it," she said. She stood up and tried to get past the three of them but couldn't once Bobby wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I'm sorry."

"He's gonna be okay, Izzy. And you're gonna be able to tell him all of that as soon as he gets out of surgery," he whispered, resting his chin on the top of her head.

When Bobby finally let go of Isabelle she felt a wave of shame flood over her. This was Jack's family, they were certainly more connected to him then she was and here she was acting like she was the only person the cared about him. She furiously wiped at her eyes and wrapped her arms around her chest.

"Hey, why don't you, Camille, Sofi, and the kids go down to the cafeteria?" Jerry suggested. "It's around lunchtime and I'm sure my kids are starving and it might be a nice change of scenery for you."

Isabelle nodded and walked over to the four girls who were already standing by the doorway. As soon as they left the room Bobby turned back to his brothers. Without saying a word they all knew what he was thinking. Jack had to be okay, if not for them, for her.

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By the time five girls had gotten back to the Emergency room waiting area all of the brothers were gone. Isabelle waited with Daniela and Amelia as Sofi and Camille went to go find out what had happened. She knelt down by the little girls so that she was at eye level with them and smiled, mustering all the fake happiness she could for them.

"What's wrong with Uncle Jack?" Daniela, the eldest, asked.

"He just has a boo-boo," Isabelle answered. She began to bounce of the balls on her feet, finding it a miracle that didn't fall due to her low to the ground to the position. "You see those guys in the white coats?" She pointed to a group of older men with graying hair in a white lab coats and a files in their hands, both of the girls nodded. "Well, they're the doctors and fixing boo-boos is their job. That's what they're doing for Uncle Jack right now."

"But when we got hurt mommy or daddy always fix them," Daniela said.

"Well, Uncle Jack's boo-boo is a harder to fix. Plus, his mommy and daddy aren't here to fix it for him," she replied.

"My daddy can fix it," Amelia suggested. "He's a daddy, so he can fix Uncle Jack."

"Yeah, he can."

Isabelle was a loss for words. She didn't know how to explain to them what had happened to Jack without it being confusing or traumatic for them. Before Isabelle could say anything else, Camille and Sofi came running into the waiting room. Standing up, she caught the sight of their faces. Relief was present on them.

"What happened?" Isabelle questioned, impatiently.

"Jack's out of surgery, he's still unconscious," Camille said.

"Why is he still unconscious?"

"Because of the mix of loss of blood and the anesthesia they think," Camille answered. She smiled at her daughters and took their little hands into her own. "Mommy is going to take you two home and let daddy spend some time with his brothers." She looked up at Sofi and Isabelle and shrugged. "I guess I'll see you two tomorrow?"

"Yes," Sofi agreed, nodding happily, as Camille and the kids left. She reached out for Isabelle's hand but Isabelle took a step back. "Come on, let's go see Jack."

"I can't."

"I don't understand."

"Um, I have work, I told them that as soon as things were settled here I would go in," Isabelle replied. She looked away from Sofi's knowing eyes and started to walk out of the room. "Tell the boys to call me later, okay?"

"There's nothing to be afraid of."

Isabelle ignored Sofi's comment and walked down the hallway away from the waiting room. She wasn't ready to see him again, whether he was conscious or not.

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"Where'd you disappear to this morning?" Gavin asked, as he slipped into bed.

Isabelle, who had been reading, looked up from her book at him and just shrugged softly. She marked her page and then closed it, placing his hands flat on the hard cover.

"Just ran some errands," she answered. She felt his hands gently touch her shoulders, massaging them softly, but his touch just made her uncomfortable. "You know…Um, bank…Post office…Grocery sto…Can you please stop that?"

"Sorry."

"Gav, you know that I love when you do that, but I'm just really sore and it's making it worse," she lied. She turned her body to face his and placed a hand on the side of his face. "Thank you anyway."

Gavin smiled softly, his dark eyes lightening when he looked at her. She leaned forward and kissed him softly, her hand never leaving his face. Without a second thought, she slowly lowered herself back to the bed, never breaking her kiss with Gavin. As he was kissing her, she tried to keep her mind on him, the way that his hands felt on her skin and his lips on her own. When she opened her eyes, however, she didn't see him. Her mind was deceiving her because instead of it being Gavin on top of her, kissing her, it was Jack.

"I love you," Jack whispered.

Closing her eyes, Isabelle felt the world around her start to spin. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She opened her eyes and it was Gavin again. She pushed him off of her and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes and rubbed them furiously when she felt the sting of tears coming to her eyes.

"Iz..."

"I can't marry you," Isabelle blurted out, her back to Gavin.

"Honey, it's just cold feet," Gavin replied, soothingly rubbing her back. "In two months I'm sure you won't feel the same way."

"Yes, I will and it's not cold feet," she said. She sighed and turned to face a confused Gavin. "I slept with someone else."

"Jack?" he asked.

Isabelle merely nodded as she felt the pressure of the other side of the bed lessen, as Gavin quickly got up. She could hear his pacing around the other side of the room and when she turned around to face him she saw that he was cracking his knuckles, something he only did when he was stressed.

"I can tell you that I'm sorry and mean it, but I can't say that I regret it," Isabelle informed him. "I wish it was as simple, as me telling you that being with him was a mistake and that I know what's going on in my head, but I can't."

"Do you love him?" he blatantly asked.

"Yes…"

"Did you love me?"

"Yes, I did…I do."

"Freudian slip," Gavin said. "You_ did_ love me…Hence you don't anymore."

"Gav, it's not like that. It's not black and white here." Isabelle stood up and walked over to him. She stood before him, not knowing what to say. "I wish I knew what I could say or do to make it better but I did what I did and I can't take that back."

"Which thing are you talking about, Isabelle?" Gavin questioned. "Because a second ago you told me you don't regret what you did with Jack, so the thing you must want to take back is being with me."

"No, I-"

"I need air," he said, cutting her off.

Gavin opened the door and walked out of the room. Isabelle sat back down in the center of the bed, bringing her knees up to her chest. She sat there in the silence for a little bit, until Haven and Jane walked into the room. She looked over at them and sighed, they had probably heard everything, the bad part about sharing a house with other people.

"You okay?" Haven asked, taking a seat next to her friend.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Are you sure?" Jane asked, sitting down on the other side.

"Okay, look, this is not the time for friend and sister chats. I'm fine. I mean, I don't know what's going on my ex-fiancé's head and my ex-boyfriend who I slept with, which caused the end of my engagement, is in the hospital. But otherwise, I'm fine." Isabelle looked up at her sister and then over at her Haven and closed her eyes, shaking her head softly. "I'm fine."

"Do you want to talk?" Haven asked.

"No." She stood up and walked over to her door. "I need to go for a ride. I'll have my cell on me if you need me, but I just need time to myself, so don't call unless it's an emergency."

"Isabelle, I don't think that this is a good idea," Jane said.

"I know you're just trying to be my protective older sister, but that's not what I need right now." Isabelle looked down at her hand pulled the ring off of her finger, then placed it on the side table. "I need to clear my head."

Isabelle walked out of the room and walked down the stairs, both Jane and Haven following behind her. She grabbed her jacket and despite what they were suggesting for her to do instead, she opened the door and left. She headed towards her car and slid inside, peeling out of the driveway.

Driving for nearly half an hour around Detroit aimlessly had not been one of Isabelle's best ideas but it was the only one she had. She wasn't searching for Gavin, but she had found his car at his friend's house. She had also then quickly driven away, she truly wasn't searching for him because there was nothing left to say.

Another ten minutes of driving and see had stopped in front of the one place where nothing and yet everything seemed to make sense. She cut the engine and slowly got out of the car, walking up the snow covered driveway and onto the patio. She stood in front of the door, wondering whether or not to knock. Before she had made her decision, the door swung open and Bobby stood there, beer in one hand and the remote control in the other.

"You gonna stand out there all night?" he asked.

"I was planning on standing out here for about five more minutes, chickening out and then getting back in my car and driving home," she answered.

"I got a better idea, come inside, get warm and then decide if ya really wanna be home or here," Bobby suggested.

Isabelle nodded and walked into the Mercer's house. She stood in the hallway like she was uncomfortable, as Bobby walked into the living room and plopped down onto the chair that he practically owned. He called her into the room and she cautiously headed into it.

"Well, ya can sit, I ain't gonna attack ya."

"Sorry, it's just a little weird in here," she said, taking a seat on the couch.

"I know. With the fairy being in the hospital and it ain't like home."

"He hates it when you call him fairy," Isabelle said, with a small laugh. "He would get so angry. It just strikes such a nerve with him."

Bobby nodded softly and looked over at Isabelle who was fidgeting with a seam on her jacket. He let out a small laugh, shaking his head dismissively.

"Ya know, I figured out why about a year after he came to live with Ma," he admitted. Isabelle looked up at him as he spoke. "And as much as I know he hates it, I know that if I stopped he would know somethin' was up. I didn't want him to know I knew about his past, it was his secret to share but only if he wanted to."

"So calling him a fairy all these years was sort of a gentlemanly deed, eh?"

"I don't know 'bout that, but it ain't 'cause I thought he was gay or nothin'," he said, with a shrug. "Although, God only knows now."

"What's that mean?"

"He ain't been with another girl since you." Isabelle gave him a look of humorous disbelief and he continued. "I mean, sure he's fucked 'em, but he ain't ever let anyone close to him. Which either means he's insecure with his sexuality or he's still in love with you."

"He's not in love with me. We just hurt each other, that's all we do," she replied. "Besides, you haven't let any girl close to you. Does that mean you're gay or that you're in love with me?"

"You, of course, babe."

Isabelle laughed softly and shook her head. Coming here was the right decision, she had decided. She looked over at the television which was replaying a hockey game from earlier. She watched the players skating on the ice for a minute or so before asking the question that was nagging her.

"Is he okay?" she questioned.

"Jack…He's still not awake, but, um, the docs said by tomorrow he should be, he's got great vitals and shit so, tomorrow's the day," Bobby replied. "Actually, considering that, I need your help with something."

"Which is?"

"Jerry, Angel and me gotta do something important tomorrow and I need someone to stay with Jack, I don't want him wakin' up and no one being there for him."

"He'd rather be alone then see me there," Isabelle replied.

"He loves you, Izzy, why do you think he was so hurt by the way things went down?" He paused for a moment and ran his hand across the top of his head. "Please, if ya ain't gonna do it for him, do it for me. After all the shit I did for you, you owe me this."

"Fine," she agreed.

"Good. It also means you should probably sleep here tonight, that way I can make sure you actually go," Bobby said, knowing that she wanted an excuse not to go home. "Why don't you go stay in Jack's room, I'm sure he won't mind. You know, I think you might even have some of your old clothes up there from when you lived with us."

Isabelle nodded and started to walk towards stairs. She slowly ascended them and turned towards Jack's room. She placed her hand on the doorknob and pushed the door open. She noticed that the light was already on and it saddened her. She didn't know the details of what had happened, Bobby would never tell her, but she imagined that after she had left Jack had sat on that bed, the lights on because the sunset of dusk wasn't bright enough to illuminate the room for him. Then he had left, leaving the light on, thinking that he'd be back in a little bit to shut it off, only it was nearly twenty-four hours later and he still wasn't back to finish that task. Isabelle refused to finish it for him because of a subconscious metaphor that had she done it, he wouldn't have to and he would come back.

Walking over to the bed, Isabelle noticed a closed notebook laid out on the bed, much like the kind Jack used to carry around when they were teenagers. She sat down on the edge of the bed and picked it up, as she examined the cover, she smiled to herself, seeing Jack's numerous little notes on scratched on the surface of the marble notebook in red pen. She ran her hand over the words, feeling the indention with each letter then read them silently to herself. Things like "_Change isn't to ain't_" and "_Slow down pace when entering the second bridge_" didn't mean anything to her, but they had to Jack and she felt a little disconnected to him at that moment.

Isabelle opened the notebook and thumbed through the pages, each song had the notation of the date it was written, some going as far back at two years prior. She read a line or two of each one until she reach a page that had the previous day's day date. She looked down at the lyrics and he heart seemed to break as she read them aloud to herself.

"A better slumber/ Was in your arms/ Spent tangled up in you/ A sudden mourning/Crashed in the room/ With an uninvited sudden change in you. What can I say/ Where's the girl from last night/ Who slept on that side/ And looks just like you do? You can sleep in your own bed tonight/ Sleep away a silent pain/ Screaming out my name/ You can sleep in your own bed tonight/I hope for your sake you don't wake up as broken as I am. For a lack of better/ Words to say/ All I said was goodnight/ Once again/ In self defense I won't sleep a wink/ To prevent dreaming of you. You can sleep in your own bed tonight/ Sleep away a silent pain/ Screaming out my name/ You can sleep in your own bed tonight/ I hope for your sake you don't wake up as broken as I am. Sleep in your own bed tonight/ I know someday that you will wake up as lonely as I am/ You can sleep in your own bed tonight/ Sleep away a silent pain/ Screaming out my name/ You can sleep in your own bed tonight/ I hope for your sake you don't wake up as broken as I am. Sleep in your own bed tonight/ I know someday that you will wake up as lonely as I am/ Cause fate works both ways/ Cause fate works both ways/ Cause fate works both ways/ Sleep in your own bed."

Staring down at the harsh words, Isabelle saw the tears falling onto the paper and running the ink before she could feel them running down her face. She closed the book and her eyes at the same time. Falling backwards onto the bed, she could smell the scent of him in the room, his cologne on his pillow. She curled her legs up so that she was resting in the fetal position and fell asleep, sad and clutching his lyrics book to her chest.

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A/N: So what did you think? I tried to not be too sappy in this chapter but I know it's definitely high on the sap, oh, well...lol. I am also aware that there was technically no Jack in this chapter, but I promise Jack will be in the next chapter, I just can't promise you what kind of state of being he will be in, but he shall be in it.  
The Song is called "A Goodnight's Sleep" by The Starting Line (aka, the best band ever, even though I have had to come to terms with that fact that they are and have always been GASP!...Emo!)**

**Thank You:**

**4everdreaming ("Most amazing work ever" lol, awesome! My ego just totally inflated...JK...Thanks for the compliment, hope this was updated soon enough.)  
BeautifulBre  
Bigamericanflirt  
Cujo (Well, I have little bit more left to write, so it's not one chapter, but you don't get to find out if Jack dies in this chapter or not...Sorry...Soon though.)  
Dragon3712  
iszgarretthedlund (Even if Jack does die I am not saying he is and I am not say he isn't he certainly isn't dying ala movie fashion...I need the hospital to add drama.)  
jsweetie79  
LaLaLover (Hahaha, sorry for the mix up, the result of 3 am postings and insomnia...Sorry for that!)  
SarcasticRockinLC ("this one's got the raw emotion that i love so much..." Thank you so much for the compliment! It means so much!)  
Trizzy (Yeah, I know Jack can be an asshole, but I love that about the character. I mean it sort of makes sense at least in my warped mind because of the childhood he endured before coming to be a Mercer. Haha, you shrieked when you read that he called her a dirty whore, I love that! I wanted a reaction of repulsion, I guess I did it properly then...lol.)**

**Please Review! The more reviews I get the faster I write and post...Hehe, I whoring myself out...I have lost all my self pride...Yeah right, like I had any before...lol.**


	43. A Moment Alone

**A/N: Updating early, lol, hope no one minds. Also, this takes place the same day as the battle with Sweet.  
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Isabelle stood outside of the hospital room that Jack was occupying but couldn't force herself to walk into the room. She could see his motionless body in the bed from where she stood, could see his chest rising and falling, but she couldn't convince herself that he was fine. As she stared into the room, she felt the presence of a person behind her. She turned around and saw a lady, friendly looking with a sympathetic smile, dressed in scrubs standing behind her.

"He's had a lot of visitors," she informed Isabelle.

"Yeah, he's got a big family," Isabelle replied.

"Are you his girlfriend?" she asked. Isabelle opened her mouth to answer, despite the lack of words to explain the situation, but the lady continued talking. "It's always the hardest for a person who is close to another person like that to see them in this state. Trust me though, he's doing very well, we're actually expecting him to wake up soon. Everything looks good."

"His brother told me the same thing."

"I have to go check some of the equipment in there. It might help you make the transition to seeing him like that if you came in with me," she said.

Nodding softly, Isabelle followed the nurse into the room. Once she was inside, there was denying how bad Jack had been hurt. He had an I.V. hooked up to his arm, the needle piercing one of his tattoos, tubes never his nose to help him breathe and wires hook up to a heart monitor attached to his chest with some sort of sticky, circular pad.

"See this?" the nurse asked, pointing the green lines that looked like little moving mountains on the screen of the heart monitor. "It's normal heart function. And this one over here." She pointed to another monitor with a screen similar to the one she had just pointed out to Isabelle "That's his brain function, it's completely normal to, hence why he should wake up at anytime."

"Jack has normal brain function and to think for all those years he told he do something because his brain didn't function normally. He's sure as hell going to make up for that when he's better," Isabelle joked. She smiled softly, then felt guilty for doing so, and stopped.

"Honey, don't worry about him, he's going to be okay," the nurse said, walking over to Isabelle. "I have seen people in such worse shape than he is recover completely. Everyone has high hopes for him. I wouldn't lie to you." She placed a hand on Isabelle's shoulder and gave it a soft squeeze. "My name is Evelyn, but call me Lyn, I'll be in the nurse's station if you need anything, okay?"

"Evelyn was his mother's name," Isabelle commented with a soft laugh. "You actually remind me of her a little bit."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment."

"It is."

"Remember, if you need anything, just ask. Okay?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"Also, I think you should talk to him," Lyn said, standing beside the door. "Sometimes it helps."

As Lyn walked out of the room, Isabelle slowly walked over to Jack. She sat down on the chair next to Jack's bed. She looked at his body, trying so hard to control herself, refusing to let herself cry in front of Jack, even if he wasn't conscious. She grabbed his hand in her own and ran her thumb across his skin. It was warm but no energy was coming from it. She couldn't bring herself to look at his face. She was fearful of finding it empty and lifeless, or worse, fearful of seeing him slowly fade before her.

"I brought a book," Isabelle said. She grimaced, finding it hard to believe that she was reading to Jack just like she had when they were younger, only this time he couldn't respond. "It's called 'Empire Falls'."

Isabelle grabbed the book from her purse and opened it. She flipped past the introduction and to the first page. She looked up at him once more, still restraining her eyes to his torso and hands, then back down at her book as she cleared her throat.

"_Compared to the Whiting mansion in town, the house Charles Beaumont Whiting built a decade ago after his return to Main was modest. By every other standard of Empire Falls, here most single-family homes cost well under seventy-five thousand dollars, his was palatial, with five bedrooms, five full baths, and a detached artist's studio. C.B. Whiting had spent several formative years in old Mexico, and the house he built, appearances be damned, was a mission-style hacienda. He even had the bricks specially textured and painted tan to resemble adobe. A damn-fool house to build in Maine, people said, though they didn't say it to him…"_

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A couple of hours later, Bobby, Angel and Jerry walked into the room. Each one of them had various buts and abrasions on their face but they still donned huge grins. Isabelle looked over at them, unable to comprehend anything that could have caused their injuries.

"What the hell did you three do?" Isabelle asked, furiously. She jumped out of her chair and walked over to Bobby. She looked at his face, his black eye like a trophy to him, and slapped him hard on the shoulder. "What the fuck, Bobby?"

"Oooh, Izzy's pissed," he retorted, lightly. "We just needed to get something stuff outta the way. Which we did."

"Yeah, and luckily we didn't need to put you in the bed next to Jack, you moron. One hurt Mercer brother at a time is one too many."

"I always knew you loved me the most," Bobby joked.

"No, I just always know that you're the ringleader of all the bad things that happen."

Examining his eye once more, Isabelle sighed and turned away from him and back towards Jack. She took her seat again and looked back over at the brothers.

"Anything?" Jerry asked.

"No change," she replied. "But they keep coming in here and checking his vitals and stuff and keep saying that he should be up at any moment but he doesn't."

Everyone knew what that meant. With good vitals but no reaction, his chances weren't as good as they were the previous day. All the talk of good vitals was merely to relax the person they assumed to be his girlfriend.

"Well, you're off duty. Why don't go back to the house and relax?" Angel suggested.

"Thanks but I think I need to head home, my home," Isabelle replied. She gathered her things and stood up but paused for a moment. "Actually, can I just have one more moment alone with Jack?"

"Yeah," Bobby replied.

Once the brothers had left the room, Isabelle placed her belongs on the floor and closed her eyes, sighing. Jack couldn't hear her, she convinced herself. For the first time, she took a look at his face and she knew there was nothing to fear, it was him, Jack like he had always been. Just like when he had laid in bed beside her sleeping. She gently touched his brow and let her fingers linger there, while grabbing his hand with her free one. He didn't grip her hand, which at first frightened her, but she quickly got used to it.

"Hey," she whispered. She laughed nervously and pursed her lips together. "I have a confession of sorts."

Isabelle sat down, reluctantly, removing her hand from his face, but kept her hand holding onto his. She looked up at his face like she was expecting him to react. The machines beeped in the background, making this creepier than she thought it would be. She took a deep breath in and exhaled loudly, as if making room for declaration. She squeezed his hand tighter, then spoke softly.

"I love you and it's probably too late to admit that to you. I was just scared. It's intense, whatever we have. I'm not marrying Gavin, I don't love him. I mean, I do, but not as much as I love you. Don't make this be in vain, Jack. Please wake up, let me tell you that I love you when you can hear it. You can tell me that you hate me and that you never want to see me again, I'll be okay with that. Just please, Jack, wake up…If not for me then for your brothers. They need you more than you might think. You and Evelyn were the only things that held them together. They already lost her, they can't handle another loss." Isabelle closed her eyes and bit her lip. "Neither can I."

Isabelle stood up and took a step closer to Jack's bed. She dropped his hand and placed her hand on his chest, feeling the soft thumping of his heart beneath her palm. Gently, she ran her other hand along the side of his face, feeling his rough, unshaven face beneath her hand. Her hand drifted up to his brow again, then to his forehead, pushing the wild golden and brunette locks away. She felt a few tears slowly begin to slide down her cheeks are she leaned down and gently kissed his forehead. She pulled away and slowly removed her hands from him.

"I love you," she whispered.

Turning away from him, she bent down to grab her stuff from the floor. She slung her bag over her shoulder and started to walk towards the doorway.

"Belle…" Jack croaked.

Isabelle looked over at him in disbelief. His eyes were only partially opened and his face contorted in pain. Hesitantly, Isabelle walked out the door, leaving Jack by himself for a moment and ran into the waiting room. Jeremiah and Camille were asleep, resting their heads together, Angel and Sofi were off at the opposite side of the room in the same position. Bobby sat alone by the doorway Isabelle ran through. He was slouched forward, a cup of coffee resting idly in his hands.

"Bobby," Isabelle said, with an urgent tone to her voice.

Without a second thought, Bobby stood up, dropping his cup to the floor and running down the hallway to Jack's room. He was still awake when the two of them got into the room. Bobby walked over to one side of the bed while Isabelle stood in the doorway. She knew that Bobby had wanted her to go to the free side of the bed, but now that Jack was awake, it seemed different.

Jack turned his head to face Isabelle, but she wouldn't return his gaze. Bobby was standing there, calling him names like usual as the doctors walked towards the room. Isabelle stepped out of the way to let them in.

"Okay, I need everyone out of the room so that I can check him," Dr. Martin said.

"No," Jack whispered, his eyes wild. He was scared, he didn't know what was going on.

"Fine, one of you can stay, but the other has to leave."

Isabelle turned away from Jack and started to walk out the door when she heard him call out her name. He had wanted her to stay but she just continued to leave. Hearing another set of footsteps behind her as she walked to the waiting room, she wasn't surprised to feel Bobby's hand rest on her shoulder lightly.

"Jack wants you, not me," Bobby said.

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" he asked, angrily. "You've been here all damn day by his bedside without him knowing and now that he's awake and wants you to be there you run away? That's a coward's way out, Izzy."

"I just can't, okay?" she replied, pulling away from him. "Please just understand."

"I don't. I heard you in the room talking to him when you knew he couldn't hear you. You told him that you loved him and that if he just woke up you'd tell him to his face. Well, here's your chance, Izzy."

"He doesn't feel the same, trust me. I could see it in his eyes."

"All I saw in his eyes was fear and who was he reaching out for when he was afraid? You…Not me or any of his other brothers, but you. So don't feed me a bullshit line about how he doesn't love ya, because if he don't then he sure as hell has a funny way of showin' it. Now get your ass back in that room and tell him that!"

"I can't deal with this," she muttered.

Bobby reached for her arm and held onto it tightly, not letting her get away.

"What is runnin' away gonna do? I've been runnin' from things my entire life and I ain't gotten nowhere because of it. What you're feelin' ain't gonna go away that easy."

"Just give me time to deal with him."

"When are you gonna deal with him? When you marry some guy and have a kid on the way and finally realize, 'Hey, I really loved Jack and I made a mistake'? Don't make that fuckin' mistake. That ain't the life for you and you damn well know it," Bobby said, releasing her from his grip. "It ain't fair to Jack either."

"I can't think about this right now, Bobby, please just understand."

"I don't."

Lyn, the nurse, walked over to the pair on them in the hallway and stood to the side of Isabelle.

"I don't mean to interrupt, but why don't you stay with your brother while I talk to her?" she suggested, staring Bobby down.

"Yeah."

Bobby walked away from them and over to Jack's room. Isabelle sighed and brought her hands up to her face, burying the majority of it in her palms. She mumbled something into her hands and then removed them from her face. She wrapped her arms around her herself and looked over at Lyn.

"It's my break, why don't we go for a walk?"

"I don't want you to waste your time on-" Isabelle started.

"Nonsense, it's not a waste of time," she replied. She wrapped an arm around Isabelle's shoulders comfortingly and led her down the hallway. "So can I guess that there is something more complicated than you just being his girlfriend in this situation?"

"Yes," she answered. "We dated in high school and broke up on pretty bad terms five years ago. His mother died about a week ago and he sort got back into touch with each other because of that but I was engaged."

"I don't see a ring."

"That's because I told him."

"Told who what?"

"Told Gavin, my fiancé, that I couldn't marry him because Jack and I had slept together."

"You slept with Jack?"

"Twice...Well, two separate occasions."

"You love him."

"Yes and I told him that."

"Who, Gavin or Jack?" Lyn asked.

"I told Jack that I loved him and he woke up five minutes later. I don't know if he heard it or not, but if he did I don't want to be there."

"Okay, I think we're going to need coffee," she said, pressing the button on the elevator.

"I'm really okay, I don't need to talk about this."

"First off, I am officially involved in this, I have to know everything and see it through to the end. Secondly, you do need to talk about. There is a scared guy that you are in love with in a hospital bed asking for you and we have to stop you from walking away from him and ruining everything you two had," she said, as the elevator doors open.

"I think you're in the wrong field of medicine, Lyn," Isabelle replied, stepping onto the elevator.

"Yeah, well, nursing school was cheaper."

Isabelle laughed softly and nodded. The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened slightly. There was a large group of people waiting to getting on. Isabelle and Lyn stepped off, pushing their way through the group and talking. As soon as they stepped onto the tile floor the elevator door started to close behind them.

"Iz?" a voice called from inside the elevator.

Isabelle turned around to face it, catching a glimpse of the Gavin just before the doors shut.

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**Thank You:**

**Bigamericanflirt (Aww, thank you for the compliments on Isabelle's emotion. I was so worried I was making her all whiny and "woe is me" annoying, I'm glad to know that it's not that case and that her pain feels real. It's also so sweet that you said that you don't want this story to end! I personally think it's too damn long and I am the one who wrote, lol.)  
EbonyRose02 (I totally agree with you on the Bobby's use of the word "Onto" in retrospect, but as for Jack it was supposed to seem wordy and out of context because Jack with Isabelle is different than Jack with his brothers, in that scene he's basically trying to convince, or seduce, her into staying longer. As for Gavin, lol, I guess I kinda tricked everyone.)  
iszgarretthedlund (Okay, so he didn't die...But sex in the hospital? Not so sure about that, but I could totally imagine Jack pure hotness in one of those paperlike hospital gowns that don't cover his ass and Izzy jumping on top of him in the hospital bed...lol, but Bobby would probably interrupt anyway...lol.)  
LaLaLover (Aww, I made you cry! Sorry, but it's a compliment of sorts, lol. Yay, you downloaded "A Goodnight's Sleep" and actually like it! I know emo usually sucks but for some reason I love The Starting Line.)  
SarcasticRockinLC (Haha, awesome, you could feel the tension in the chapter. Updated soon enough for you? lol.)  
Trizzy (Jack and Isabelle...together? Hmmm, possibly...lol. Just wait and see, not that much longer of a wait until the end...Btw, enthralled, lol, brings me back to SAT class...jk.)**


	44. Pros and Cons of a Situation

**Sorry for the lack of update, I haven't had any internet connection for like a week or so now and I am sneaking on now while babysitting...lol. Anyway, it is sad, the story is almost done. However, I do have a question, I have two choices for you all, either A) Finish up with the next chapter or B) I add a prologue as well...Tell me what you guys think I should do.  
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"I don't feel so sorry for you anymore," Lyn said, as she and Isabelle headed back upstairs, coffees in hand.

"Why's that?"

"You have two really hot guys in love with you," she replied. "It must be torture for you."

"First off, Gavin doesn't love me…Anymore."

"So, he's here to visit Jack? That's a highly unlikely scenario, Isabelle."

"Secondly, Jack doesn't love me anymore either."

"Which is why he called out for you when he was afraid?"

The elevator came to a stop and the two of them stepped off. They slowly made the trek back to Jack's room. Isabelle didn't want to run into Gavin, who she had luckily avoiding for nearly twenty minutes, and she wasn't ready to face Jack yet.

"You're agreeing with Bobby. Wow, and to think I valued your opinion only minutes ago," she joked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, Bobby has a point." Isabelle looked up at her, a curious grin on her face. "Don't think what you're thinking."

"Hey, you might be good for him. A man always looks for a woman just like his mother."

"Okay, so that must mean that a woman looks for a man just like her father. Who's more like your dad, Jack or Gavin?"

"I don't know my father," Isabelle replied. "And the guy who I thought was my father until I was sixteen wasn't exactly the fatherly type."

"I'm sorry..."

"You didn't know, don't worry about it," she said, shrugging. "I mean, Jack is the only one who knows everything that happened. He's the only person I could ever open up to."

"Which leaves Gavin where on the opening up spectrum?"

Isabelle looked over at Lyn for a moment and then shook her head softly. During all the years that Gavin and her had been dating, she had never once offered up the information on her past. When Mr. Leary died and she felt no remorse, questions had been asked and answers had been provided, but nothing more than the gist of it.

"He doesn't really know much," she answered.

"Do you trust him?" Lyn asked.

"Of course, I just never told him more than I had to."

"But you were still going to marry him?" Lyn looked over at Isabelle, not judging her in any way, just trying to understand her. "Why? Why would you marry someone that you felt you couldn't tell everything about yourself to?"

"I could have told him everything and he would have never judged me."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because I never felt that same connection to him that I had with Jack," she replied. She sighed and rested her back against the wall. "Gavin's a good guy, though. He's a good person, so much better than I ever deserved. He's been there for me through everything since senior year in high school. Every morning, when he's not away on business, he makes sure that he's there when I wake up. Whether he's away on business and calls me or he's beside me in bed he makes sure that the first thing I hear in the morning is 'I love you'. Gavin's so good to me and he loves me, I know he does, and I love him, too, but not in that way that I loved Jack. With Gavin it's this secure love, like I know he's going to be there, and with Jack, it's this reckless love. He's not reliable and he's uncontrollable, but he loves me and I know even if he makes a mistake, which he does a lot, he still loves me. I mean, Jack and I have more passion in a fight than Gavin and I do when we make love. I know it shouldn't be like that. I know that it should be the opposite, but I'm so afraid of getting hurt again that I would rather marry Gavin just because I know it's a secure love and because I don't want to hurt him or me."

"Isabelle, using Gavin as a security blanket isn't going to protect you from getting hurt. You're not being fair to yourself or him if you just give in because you don't want to hurt. Love, romantic love, isn't like that. What you have with Gavin isn't what you need."

"And Jack?"

"Maybe he's not what you need either." She held her hand out to take Isabelle's now empty coffee cup and threw both it, as well as her own, into the waste bin against the opposite wall and sighed. "Don't take this in a negative way, but maybe you need to just be by yourself to figure out what you really want in life. It sounds like you haven't been alone since you met Jack."

"I know."

"Come on, we should probably go check up on them. Gavin's probably found them and is waiting for you there."

Isabelle nodded and followed Lyn towards the room. When they entered, Jack was lying on his back, his eyes contorted in pain. Lyn rushed over to his side, making sure that his medicine was working. As soon as he heard the footsteps towards his bed, he opened his eyes, instantly catching the sight of Isabelle standing inside the room, off to the side.

"Belle," he whispered, softly.

"Hey, Jack," she said. She smiled, she was happy to see him awake, and slowly walked over to the foot of his bed. "How do you feel?"

"I'm sore," he replied.

"I'm working on that problem, right now," Lyn said, adjusting the flow of the I.V. drip. "It should work in a few minutes. You two should talk, I'll let you two get to that." She turned and started to walk out of the room, but stopped at the door, turning to face Isabelle. "If that guy I told you about happens to show, I'll give you the heads up."

Isabelle smiled, knowing what she meant and nodded softly. Lyn walked out of the room completely as Isabelle made her way over to the other end of his bed. She placed a hand on his forehead, pushing more hair out his face. She smiled, looking straight down into his eyes.

"You scared the shit out of me," she admitted. She closed her eyes, a tear spilling over onto her cheek. "I was so afraid I was going to lose you, which is stupid because I don't even have you."

"You'll always have me," Jack replied, quickly.

"You're a sap," she said, with a small laugh and wiping the tears from her eyes.

"I love you, Belle. I made a mistake the other night, I never meant to call you what I did and-"

"Shhh, Jack, relax. Save your energy. I want you to get all better and be the Jack that I love."

"That you love?"

"I've come to a decision. I made a huge mistake the other night, too. I do lo-"

"Isabelle, I need your help out here," Lyn said, running into the room.

Suddenly, a loud thud came from the waiting area. Isabelle instantly knew what was going on. She glanced back at Jack, an apologetic look on her face, and ran out of the room, following behind Lyn. As soon as she reached it, she saw Gavin on the floor, Bobby on top of him while the others looked on.

"Get the hell off of him!" Isabelle yelled, yanking on the back of Bobby's shirt.

Bobby stood up and looked back at Isabelle, a scowl present on his face. He crossed her hands over his chest, then looked back down at Gavin, who was slowly making it to his feet. Isabelle held her hand out, trying to help him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, softly, already noticing the soft darkening of his skin around his eye. She gingerly touched the bruise and took a step closer to him.

"Yeah," he replied.

"You never answered me, what the hell are ya doin' here?" Bobby asked, angrily.

"I came to talk to my fiancée," he replied.

"Ex-fiancée," Bobby retorted. He grabbed Isabelle's left hand and held it up fro him to see. "I don't see a ring. So you've got business with her. Get the fuck away."

"Bobby, shut the hell up," Isabelle said, pulling her hand away. "Gavin, let's talk out in the hallway." She looked back at Bobby and pointed her finger at him. "You stay here."

"Don't point ya finger at me."

Isabelle ignored him and led Gavin out into the hallway. She turned to face him, trying to figure out what to say. She chewed on her bottom lip, as she searched her mind for the right words which should have been easy but weren't for some reason unknown to her.

"I love it when you do that," Gavin said.

"What?" she asked confused.

"When you bite your bottom lip while thinking, I always loved that," he answered.

"Gav-"

"Before you say anything, I do need to tell you something." He took in a deep breath, then let it out with a big whoosh of air expelling from his lungs. "I know that you still love Jack, that you've always loved him. There was always this part of you that you kept closed off, except from him. I accepted that, because I loved you, but I realize that I was wrong to ignore it. It wasn't right. You'd never be happy with me."

"I am happy with you and I do love you."

"But never as happy or as in love as you are with Jack. I know you, Iz, you would never do something without thinking about the pros and cons of a situation a thousand times over unless you automatically felt that it were right," Gavin said. "For you, sleeping with Jack was right."

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know."

"God, you're an asshole," Isabelle said, laughing. "You know, you'd make this a lot easier if you yelled at me, told me you hated me, never wanted to see me again."

"I can't do that because it's not true." He took a step closer to her and smiled, he pulled her into a friendly hug. He then leaned close to her and gently whispered, "I love you so I'm letting you go. But if Jack ever hurts you, I will kill him…Or at least try to. If it doesn't work out, I'm here for you."

Isabelle laughed and slowly pulled away from him. She gently placed a hand on the side of his face. As she dropped her hand from his face Bobby walked out into the hallway. He made his way over to Isabelle, nudging her softly, trying to signal to her that she was spending too much time with her goodbyes.

"Last chance to be an asshole."

"Damn it, I guess I just don't have it in me," he replied.

"One bad thing?"

"I can tell you how I feel," he said. "I feel like my heart's just been ripped out and stepped on."

"I'm sorry."

"No, you're not, but you're doing what you feel is right."

"Bye."

Isabelle waited for a moment, watching Gavin walk away. She slowly turned around once he was out of sight and looked back at Bobby. He had an all-knowing smirk spread across his face. She narrowed her eyes at him but he just turned around and walked back into the waiting room.

Laughing to herself, Isabelle walked towards Jack's room. The door was wide open, so she just stood in the doorway for a moment, watching Jack who laid on the bed, his eyes closed while the sounds of a rather trashy talk show played in the background. Slowly, she walked into the room, trying to be as quiet as possible. She took a step past his bed and he started to open his eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she said, she voice soft.

"I wasn't sleeping. My head hurt and closing my eyes helped it a little bit," he replied, his voice still hoarse.

"Do you want me to call the nurse?" she questioned.

"No," he answered. He looked up at her as she got a little bit closer and gently ran her hand along his forehead.

"I'm sorry for the interruption, I just needed to deal with something."

"Yeah, I heard," he said. He tried to sit up, but his shoulder hurt too much when he moved. "We need to talk."

"Okay. What about?"

"You and me."

Isabelle smiled and ran her hand down from his forehead, across his cheek, then down his neck. She took a step closer to the bed, watching his eyes close agreeably. Laughing softly, she leaned down towards him, kissing the corner of his mouth, taking him by surprise. She started to pull away but he Jack quickly placed his hand on the back of her head, gently lowering her lips to his again.

"I love you," Isabelle whispered, once she was finally detached from him.

"That's what we need to talk about," he said.

"Please don't tell me that you don't love me. Because honestly…"

"I love you," he said, his voice strong and sure. "I just think that you deserve-"

"I don't care what you think I deserve," she said.

Isabelle smiled mischievously and walked over to the foot of the bed. She climbed on top of it and moved up Jack's body, one knee on either side of his body, straddling him. He looked up at her in disbelief but she paid no attention to his reaction, gently kissing him, her hands framing his face. Jack wrapped his good arm around her waist in reply, he could feel Isabelle's lips stretch into a smile as she kissed him.

Pulling away from him Isabelle opened her eyes, watching Jack for a moment. He had kept his eyes closed and groaned softly when he realized that she wasn't going to kiss him again. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes and smiled at her.

"Now what were you saying?" Isabelle asked.

"Nothing…I wasn't saying anything."

"That's more like it," she replied. She laughed softly and started to get off of him, but Jack quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her close to him. "Jack…"

"Come on, no one is around, might be."

"What might be fun?"

"You know," he replied, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"In a hospital bed? Are you nuts?"

"Hey, we almost did it in a hospital's janitor's closet."

"First off, it was storage room, secondly, the door wasn't a clear glass pane in part of the door," she replied.

"It'll make me feel better."

"Nearly died and you're thinking about sex."

"Near death experiences make you think about the good things in life," Jack replied.

Isabelle laughed softly and shook her head. She slid off of him and took the seat next to his bed, gently enfolding his hand in hers. She looked up at the television that was on mute, reading the title of the show.

"So, Jerry Springer?" she asked, nodding towards the television. "Vertically Challenged Prostitutes, don't think I've ever seen this one before."

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Three Weeks Later (December 23rd)…

Isabelle was in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove when Bobby walked into the room. He came up behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. She looked back at him, her eyebrows raised humorously.

"All this for me, honey?" he asked.

"Sure thing, babe," she replied, laughing. "Get the fuck off me, your cologne smells terrible."

"What? This is expensive shit, Izzy." He let go of her and took a step back, then he picked up his shirt and brought it to his nose. "I think I smell just fuckin' dandy."

"Yeah, well I can think of tons of things that you smell like and none of them are dandy," she replied.

"You ain't got no taste."

"Wait, why are you wearing cologne anyway?" Isabelle asked, turning around to face him. "You can't tell me this is all for your baby brother."

"It's not…Actually, you two got the entire house to yourselves tonight. I'm goin' out," he replied, leaning against the counter.

"Out? That's the third time this week you've gone out by yourself smelling mysterious, then coming home with a huge grin on that smug of yours," she remarked, placing the spoon she had been using to stir the sauce with on the counter. "You're not meeting up with those hookers again, are you?"

"No, I don't pay for sex like your little boy toy has to. What's your weekly rate again?" He stuck his fingers into the sauce and stuck them in his mouth, then quickly ducked out of the kitchen. "I gotta go. But Izzy, think I should tell you that you're cookin' is gettin' better. You've been upgraded to a prison chef."

"Very funny. Don't think we're through here, Robert Mercer, I am going to find out what you're up to."

"Sure you will, Izzy. Have fun."

Isabelle turned back to what she was doing and turned off the heat. She started to finish everything up knowing that Jack would be home soon. She almost finished by the time she heard Jerry's car pull into the driveway.

Happily, Isabelle crossed the house and opened the door before Jack had time to get up the porch steps. She smiled as she saw him slowly making his way towards the house. His arm was still in a sling, his shoulder still bandaged so heavily that she could see the bulge of it beneath his jacket. When Jack caught sight of her, he smiled back, quicken his pace slightly, it was all he could manage, and then ascending the steps.

"It's really nice to see you up and about," Isabelle said, as Jack wrapped his good arm around her waist, pulling her up against him. "I was actually starting to miss how tall you are."

"There's a lot about you that I missed when I was in the hospital," he said, kissing her neck.

"You know, you're the best early Christmas present I ever got."

"Yeah, well it'll get better, trust me," he replied, smiling.

"Okay, you two. I know y'all missed one another but save it till I'm gone," Jerry said. He placed Jack's bags on the porch and looked over at the two of them. "You got it from here?"

"Oh, I got it from here," Isabelle replied. She pulled away from Jack and picked up the bags. "Tell your Camille and the girls I said hi."

"Will do."

Isabelle smiled and started to walk into the house, Jack following behind her. As soon as they were inside the house, Jack's arm wrapped around her, holding her tightly. He pressed his lips to her neck, unable to keep his distance from her.

"I love you, so much," Jack whispered.

"I love you, too," she replied.

Isabelle dropped Jack's belongings on the floor and wrapped both of her arms around his neck, slowly, leading him into the living room. The two of them collapsed onto the couch, laughing softly, foreheads press together.

"We have the whole house to ourselves tonight," Isabelle informed him, pulling away from him. "This can wait until later."

Isabelle slid out from underneath him and stood up, straightening out her clothing. She looked back at him with a soft smile, then heading into the kitchen.

"Are you serious?" he questioned, sitting up.

"Yes, Jack, I am. It'll be better later."

"No, it would be best right now, right here," he pouted, walking into the kitchen.

"Later." She smirked and grabbed his hand leading him into the dining room. "Eat something first."

"I'm not hungry for food."

"Jack, eat. You eat food, you gain strength, the more strength you have the longer we'll have fun."

"Logical."

"Very logical," she replied, kissing his neck gently. "Food makes Jack a very strong, long-lasting boy." She pulled away and grabbed his hand, leading him into the dining room. "Come on, eat."

After dinner was over, Isabelle instructed Jack to go upstairs and rest while she washed the dishes. As she dunked the dirty dishes into the soapy water she couldn't stop her mind from drifting off to the way Jack winched in pain every now and then when he moved the wrong way at the dinner table. Isabelle hated seeing him in pain without her being able to help.

Once the last of the dishes were done, she quickly cut off the water and headed upstairs, wanting to make sure Jack was okay. She reached his bedroom and knocked on the door softly, waiting for him to answer. When he didn't, she slowly let the door creak up. Jack laid on the bed, his eyes closed. He was breathing in a soft and slow pattern, his chest gently rising and falling with each inhale and exhale. She walked over to his bed, stepping on a creaky board and accidentally causing him to stir. Isabelle smiled at him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"How are you feeling?" Isabelle asked, running her hand against Jack's forehead.

"Better," he replied, never taking his eyes off of her. She smiled nervously, casting her eyes away from his. "Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Look away from me," he said.

"I didn't even know I did it," she answered.

Isabelle began to remove her hand from his forehead, but he quickly placed his own over hers so that she couldn't. She looked down at their hands as Jack slid it down his forehead to his cheek and eventually to his lips. He kissed the palm of her hand gently and she no longer tried to resist. She watched his eyes, entranced by how they directly looked into her core and she began to feel like she had in high school. Again she felt the sense of security that he gave her and the reckless love he had.

"Let me go," she whispered, but made no effort to pull her hand away.

"No," Jack replied, his voice muffled by their hands. "Not again."

Jack tugged softly on her sleeve, pulling her down on top of him. She hit his shoulder and she tensed up, afraid that she had hurt him. Removing their hands from his lips he smiled, wordlessly telling her he was okay. He placed their hands to the side of them, never loosening his grip. With his free hand he gently touched her cheek, remembering the bruises that had been there the first time they had been like this. She smiled softly and mimicked him, placing her hand over his and leading it down to her lips so that she could kiss his palm. Jack pulled his hand away from her lips and took her hand in his, placing it on his injured shoulder.

Tenderly, Jack rolled over so that Isabelle was underneath him. He leaned close to her ear, his breath wrapping around her neck like a warm scarf. She wrapped her arms around him, resting them on his shoulder blades. She could see the edge of one of his bandages peeking out from beneath his shirt and she felt complied to run the tips of her fingers over it.

"Promise me something," Isabelle said, distracted by the material beneath her fingers.

"What?"

"Promise me to never get hurt like that again," she replied. "Promise me you won't ever do anything stupid like that."

"I promise," he whispered. He kissed her neck, as she ran her hands along his back.

Carefully, Jack hoisted himself up on his hands, pulling away from Isabelle momentarily. She leaned up towards him, hating the feeling of being separated from him for even a second. He smiled as she kissed him and pulled him back to her. She slid her hands underneath his shirt, slowly letting her fingers trace the path up his backbone. Jack's eyes rested on her the entire time, letting her know everything was okay. She pulled his shirt up over his head, helping him get it carefully over his shoulder and then threw it on the floor.

Isabelle laughed as Jack pulled the blanket over them and pulled her up to him with his bad arm. She mumbled for him to put her down so that he didn't hurt himself, but he ignored her comment and continued holding her up against him.

"Trying to be a tough guy, eh?" Isabelle asked, laughing softly.

"I am tough," he replied, kissing her neck. "It's not an act."

"If I poke you in the shoulder you'll go down like a ton of bricks," she said, smiling.

"Go down?" he asked, smirking. He moved away from Isabelle, slowly sliding his body down hers so that his lips were just above her navel.

"Jack, no. Get back up here," she pouted. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back up to her so that she could kiss him.

"That month in the hospital was hell," Jack pouted. He kissed her lips as his hands roamed her body. "Then you came and visited me all the time and the only thing I could think about was coming home and-"

"Mmmmm…Don't say it, just show me," she replied. She kissed his neck, gently nipping at his skin.

"Okay," he said.

Jack pulled away from her and leaned over to the side of the bed, reaching into his bedside drawer. He rummaged through it for a few moments then returned to Isabelle. He kissed her gently, letting his lips linger on hers for a long while and then pulled away so that he was looked directly into her eyes. His heart started to beat faster and he gulped softly as he gently sat up, so that he was straddling Isabelle.

"Jack-"

"I was going to save this for tomorrow, thought Christmas Eve might be a bit more romantic, but, um…"

"More romantic? Jack, what are….?"

"It was Evelyn's," Jack said, gently cutting her off. He held out the box to her, the small but lovely diamond shining in the fading light. "Marry me."

"No."

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Feedback is appreciated, please review! Also, I am working on the next chapter and it's almost done...If my internet connection comes back soon it will be posted soon, otherwise, sorry!**

**Thank You:**

**brandy2009  
Bigamericanflirt  
caligrl14  
cujo  
EbonyRose02  
iszgarretthedlund (Okay, so not quite hospital sex, but a little action, lol.)  
jsweetie79  
LaLaLover (LOL, nice reaction to the chapter. Also, I know, I love that The Starting Line song...It's kinda cool that when you hear the song it makes you think of the part in the story...When I was writing that chapter I was totally thinkin of that song and needed to add it in...Btw, don't know if your liking of TSL goes beyond that song, but if you want check out their song called "The Piano Song" its hard to find and not typical of their style of music, but it's a really good.)  
SarcasticRockinLC  
Trizzy  
WHATtheF (Yeah, the story's a bit long, lol, but thanks for reading the entire thing.)**

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	45. The Importance of a Last Name

**My internet is back! So here's a new chapter...Also, see the new Texas Chainsaw Massacre, it was great!  
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A Month Later…

Bobby walked into the living room and eyed his youngest brother as he passed by him. Jack sat on the couch, idly flipping through channels and staring at the television like he had done for nearly everyday that past month. Since Isabelle had left, Jack had spent his days sitting on the couch and watching television, a cigarette or blunt in his hand most of the time. At nights, he slept for merely an hour or two and even though he would never admit it, he sometimes had the nightmares that plagued him when he was younger. Bobby had noticed that he hadn't even picked up his guitar. He was beginning to miss the racket that Jack called music.

"So, when's Izzy comin' home?" Bobby asked, plopping down into his chair.

Turning his attention away from the television, Jack looked over at his brother a saddened expression spread across his face. Bobby had broken the unspoken rule that had fallen over the house a month ago. Since she had left, there had been no mention of Isabelle, it was like the mere mention of her name might hurt Jack more than he had wanted to admit and none of the brothers wanted to do that to him. Bobby, however, was worried about them both. He knew what had happened that night, had heard Jack going over a sort speech in his hospital room the day before he was released, but he kept that knowledge to himself. When he returned home that night to find Jack passed out on the couch, at least five beer bottles on the coffee table in front of him, he knew that it had not gone as planned. The next day however, Jack had just said that Isabelle went out of state for a little bit to deal with some family business and after that, she wasn't mentioned again.

"I don't know," Jack answered, jutting his lower jaw out.

"Well, where is she?" Bobby questioned, leaning forward. "I mean, have you even spoken to her since she left?"

"I don't know where she is and no I haven't spoken to her since she left," he replied. He tossed the remote onto the couch cushion beside him and leaned forward so that his elbows rested on his knees. "And before you ask, she and I are fine. Don't worry about it."

"I just wanted to know what was goin' on in your head, Jackie," he said, falling back into his chair. "You haven't exactly been Miss Fairy Sunshine for the past couple of weeks. I thought maybe somethin' was up with you and Izzy."

"Well, nothing is."

"It seems like more than just random timin' that you go into this depression shit at the same time Izzy leaves for her trip, ya know," he added.

"Stop testing me by saying her name every time you speak," Jack muttered. "It doesn't hurt to hear her name. We're fucking fine, Bobby."

"Then why the fuck did I find you passed out cold, drunk as shit the night she left? The night you proposed to her?"

"How the fuck did you know about that?" Jack asked, angrily. He walked over to Bobby and stood in front of his chair. "How the fuck did you know I proposed to her?"

"I heard your speech you were preparing to give to her when you proposed on Christmas Eve when I visited you in the hospital. But when I got home I saw you passed out there, Isabelle no where in sight, I put it together and figured out that you didn't wait until Christmas Eve. Lyn confirmed it," Bobby admitted. He stood up, staring down his brother despite their differences in stature. "Lyn also told me something interesting, you see, Izzy and her became pretty good friends while you were in the hospital and she told me Isabelle's been back for a week, Jack. You ain't fine if she came home and you don't know shit about it."

"This isn't any of your fucking business," Jack replied, heading towards the door.

"Oh, what're you gonna do now, Jackie? Go over to her house and bust down the fuckin' door? Real mature," Bobby said, walking behind him.

"I need to talk to her."

"And say what? What you asked her you can't fuckin' take back."

"I wasn't going to take it back. I just needed to know where she was and why she left. Why she said no. I think I at least deserve that."

"Fine, but don't fuck it up, Fairy. You only got one chance at this."

"I know what I'm doing."

Jack threw open his front door and walked out of the house, heading straight to Isabelle's. Bobby smirked to himself and headed back into the living room, it had worked just like he thought it would. He grabbed the phone and quickly dialed Lyn's cell, he needed to make sure that Isabelle would stay home.

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"Sorry, that was Bobby," Lyn said, walking back into the kitchen.

"You two are getting a bit serious," Isabelle replied, smiling.

Lyn and Bobby had been dating since for a while, she had been the girl he had been sneaking off to see whenever he had left the house smelling suspiciously decent. Lyn rolled her eyes and slid back into her seat at the table.

"It's not too serious," she retorted. She laughed and looked down into her mug. "But it sure is fun."

"Please, no details," Isabelle begged. "He's like my brother, it would be so weird hearing the details of his sex life."

"He says Jack's not doing so well," Lyn informed her.

"Did something happen to his injury?"

"No, but he's pretty depressed," she said. "He misses you, doesn't know why you did what you did. Maybe it's time you told him that you were home. I mean, you've been back for like a week."

"I told you already, I don't want to talk about the situation with Jack." She sighed and looked down at the table, running her index finger over the pattern on the table cloth. "Anyway, I'm sure that's not why you called this meeting of sorts today. So what's the issue at hand?"

"Nothing much," Lyn said, shaking her head. She smirked and looked up at Isabelle who was taking a sip of her coffee. "I'm pregnant, otherwise nothing much…"

"You're pregnant?" Isabelle asked in disbelief.

Before Lyn could reply the doorbell rang. Lyn jumped up and offered to get it before Isabelle could force her to stay. Isabelle slid out of her chair and followed behind her, she opened the door and Jack walked into the house, moving directly towards Isabelle.

"Belle, we need to talk," Jack said.

"You're pregnant?" Isabelle asked Lyn again, not hearing Jack.

"Wait, you're pregnant?" he asked, turning towards Lyn.

"Yeah," she replied.

"It's Bobby's?" Isabelle questioned.

"Who else's would it be?"

"Um, congratulations?" she offered, speechless.

"Have you told my brother yet?" Jack asked.

"I am on my way to now," Lyn replied, grabbing her coat. "Wish me luck. Luck to you both, too."

Isabelle narrowed her eyes at Lyn as she started to leave, finally realizing that Lyn and Bobby had planned on getting Jack over to Isabelle's house. As soon as the front door shut she looked up at Jack and took a step away, heading back towards the kitchen. She started to collect the mugs off of the table and placed them in the sink, Jack following behind her.

"So, Bobby's going to be a dad, can't believe that those words just came out of my mouth," Jack said, breaking the silence.

"Why are you here, Jack?" Isabelle questioned, not turning around to face him. She turned on the water and started to clean.

"I don't know, could it possibly be because you haven't returned a month's worth of phone calls? Because you came home a week ago and didn't even tell me you were back in town? Because you left me without telling me where you were going? Or maybe because I asked you to marry me and you told me no, without even giving me an explanation?"

"I did give you an explanation," she replied, leaning over the sink.

"No, the phrase '_I just can't_' isn't an explanation, Belle," he said. He walked up behind her and gently grabbed her arm, turning her around to face him. "I love you and I was more vulnerable that night than I have ever been my entire life. More so than the time I told you what happened to me. So I think I at least deserve a valid reason why you don't love me that way."

"I do!" she yelled, pulling away from him. She turned back towards the sink and shut of the faucet. She sighed and turned to face Jack again, wrapping her arms around herself. "I do love you that way, Jack, I just wasn't ready, there were things that I needed to know about myself before I could go and create this whole new identity with you."

"I don't understand," he admitted.

"If I married you, it would mean being Isabelle Mercer, when I just needed to figure out who Isabelle Leary was…Who Isabelle Houston was."

"Houston?"

"My real father's last name," she informed. "I left to find my mother and birthfather. I found these old letters that my mother wrote that Mr. Leary never gave to me up in the attic when I moved back here after he died. So I decided to go see if by some chance they were still there."

"And?"

"I found them," she replied, sadly.

Isabelle walked over to the table and sat down. Jack followed her and grabbed a chair, pulling it closer to Isabelle. He sat down, reaching for her hand and gently ran his thumb along the back of it, long since forgetting about being mad.

"I take it that it didn't go well," Jack said softly.

"Nope, her letters were so nice and heartfelt, but face to face, she basically told me that I was the reason for the dissolution of her marriage and the outing of her on and off again affair of thirteen years. You know, not that she was to blame for, you know, doing the cheating." Isabelle looked up at Jack and shrugged slightly, tear flooding her eyes. "Then I met him, he's a good guy as far as my five minutes of knowing him let me judge. As soon as I got there, they asked me to leave, as to not disrupt their family situation. I have two brothers and a sister I never knew about."

"Isabelle, you are not the reason why-"

"I know," she replied, shaking her head softly. "I am not to be blamed for the sins of my mother, or father, or thought-to-be-father. I just don't know who I am. I'm not a Leary and I'm not a Houston, so I have no last name."

"You have a last name, you've had a last name since you were sixteen. It's Mercer, that's why figuring out who you're real father was, didn't do anything," Jack said, sliding his chair closer to her. "You're a Mercer."

"Well, I thought I was Mrs. Gavin Davidson at one point," Isabelle replied.

"No, you never thought you were, you just used that as another one of those last names that meant nothing, that's why you never searched to find out who you were with him…Because it was all pretend," Jack informed her. "Makes sense right?"

"Yeah, I guess," she said, laughing softly. "But I'm still not saying yes to your proposal."

"Who says I was even going to ask again?" he questioned.

"The whole 'You're a Mercer' speech had nothing to do with it?" she asked, smiling despite the tears that still stung her eyes.

"Okay, fine, it did," he replied. "But why not?"

"Because I need to know if Isabelle Mercer is the person I'm really supposed to be."

"Do you still love me?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Yes," she repeated, nodding. "Jack that was never a question."

"Then why not?"

"Because everything about our relationship has been fast and impulsive."

Fine." He slid off of his chair and knelt down in front of her. "Isabelle, would you become engaged to me in one month?"

"No," she replied, lightly.

"Two months?"

"No."

"Three?"

"Five," she said. She slid off of her chair and knelt down in front of him, and leaned forward a bit, kissing his neck. "As long as everything feels right and we know. I was already engaged to the wrong man once before, I am not doing it again."

"Deal." He smiled and kissed her gently, framing her face with his hands. He pulled away slightly, peering into her eyes. "It's a good thing that I love you."

"Oh, really?" she asked, smirking. She stood up and reached out for his hand. "You know, it's been two months since you showed me just how much you love me."

Jack smirked and stood up, ignoring her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her up against him and kissed the side of her neck, causing a low moan to emit from deep within her throat.

"It's not entirely my fault that I haven't shown you how much I loved you in a while," Jack said.

"I know. But now, there's nothing stopping you from doing so."

Isabelle laughed as Jack smiled suggestively and started to lead her towards the stairs. They made it halfway there before the door to her house burst open and Bobby ran into the living room.

"I'm gonna be a fuckin' father," Bobby said, out of breath.

Dropping his grip on Isabelle's waist, Jack buried his face in the crook of her neck. She laughed softly, having should have known that it was the typical type of moment that Bobby would ruin and gently pushed herself away from Jack. She walked over to Bobby and hugged him in a congratulatory fashion.

"You're going to be a good dad, as long as you watch your language," Isabelle said, letting go of him.

"Did Bobby do something stupid?" Lyn asked, making her way into the house.

"Just a little bit," Jack replied. He walked over to Isabelle and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Are you two back together?" Bobby and Lyn asked at the same time.

"You wanna tell them?" Jack asked, looking down at Isabelle.

"No, you go ahead and tell them, baby," she replied, placing her hand over his.

"Isabelle and I are pre-engaged," he announced.

"What's that mean?"

"It means Jack can't ask me to marry me for five months," she answered. "It also means that while I am excited that you two are going to be parents, you need to get the hell out of my house so that I can go celebrate with my pre-fiancée."

Isabelle broke away from Jack and lead Bobby and Lyn out of the house. As soon as the door shut behind it, she leaned against it, reaching for the lock. Jack smirked and ran over to her, instantly wrapping his arms around her and picking her up, taking her to the bedroom.

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****What do you think? Do you want an epilogue (well, more of a closing chapter than an epilogue) or not?**

**Also, shameless self promotion, just posted the first chapter of a new FB Jack-centric story I am writing called "Nowhere Kids" feel free to check it and review for me!**

**Thank You:**

**4everdreaming  
Bigamericanflirt (I know, I kind of wanted to write that Gavin yelled at her, but I didn't want him to seem like a dick, but now he kind of seems really unrealistic...Oh well.)  
caligrl14  
EbonyRose02 (Yeah, I meant epilogue, sorry, my brain isn't function properly...lol.)  
iszgarretthedlund  
jsweetie79 (I try not to be predictable, although I usually fail at that in my writing...Thanks for the compliment!)  
LaLaLover  
rae  
RedHot911 (Thanks for reading and I agree that the passion that they had as teens differs from the passion that they have now but I think it kind of needs to be that way...idk...lol.)  
sadvirtue  
SarcasticRockinLC  
Shining Star of Valinor (_No rock no cock..._By far the funniest thing I have read in a while...lol...No need for apologies!)  
Trizzy  
WHATtheF**


	46. The Five Month Rollercoaster

**Okay, so please don't be mad that it took so long to get up. First off I have two really good excuses, 1) I fell and sprained my ankle and in my old house the only internet connection was upstairs and I was told by the doctor I wasn't allowed to walk up stairs or I would come back with a broken ankle. 2) I just moved into my new house and it took a week for the internet connection to be set up and I can now officially post the latest and last (how sad) chapter of "Running Out of Pain". But there might be a small one chapter separate story update of Jack/Isabelle and Bobby/Lyn if enough people actually want to read it.**

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**4 Months and 29 Days Later….**

Isabelle woke up with the absence of Jack's arms around her waist. She sighed disappointedly and rolled over onto his side of the bed, pressing her face against his pillow trying to take in the scent of his cologne. Recently, this was normal for them. They would have a little 'fun' then they would fall asleep in each other arms and then, only an hour or so later, Isabelle would wake up to find the room devoid of Jack. Usually, she would find him downstairs in the living room or kitchen, his notebook open before him, pen stuck behind his ear and his guitar in his hands.

Reaching down, Isabelle groped the floor, searching for something to put on. Her fingers wrapped around the t-shirt that Jack had been wearing earlier, she quickly slipped into it and got out of bed. She quietly headed down the stairs to the living room, stopping in the middle as she heard Jack muttering curses under his breath and the stop and start of him strumming on his guitar.

"Fuck," he said angrily, as an out of place chord rang out.

"Jack, are you down here?" Isabelle called out, continuing down the stairs acting like she didn't hear him.

"Yeah, Belle," he replied.

As soon as Isabelle reached the bottom step, Jack was already there, a smile spread across his face like he hadn't just been cursing at his guitar. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her up against him. Instantly, Isabelle could feel some of his tension releasing, as he hugged her tightly.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Jack questioned, kissing the top of her head.

"Because you aren't," she answered. She smiled and ran her hand through his hair, looking up at him. "The bed's so cold without you in it."

"Oh, so you're cold?" he asked. He looked down at her and smiled. "Could that possibly be due to the lack of appropriate clothing?"

"Possibly."

Jack picked her up and ran into the living room with Isabelle in his arms. He collapsed onto the couch with her beneath him and smirked as he leaned down, peppering her with small pecks along her neck. She laughed softly and pressed her arms against his chest gently trying to shove him upwards but to no avail.

"Jack!" she gasped, in between giggles. "Baby, stop, it tickles!"

Reluctantly, Jack pulled away from her Isabelle and sat up. He reached out for her hand and she just smirked, pulling him down on top of her. He looked down at her confused but before he could say anything she pressed her lips firmly against his, taking any words or thoughts away from him. Repositioning himself so that he hovered over Isabelle, Jack pulled away a bit, just watching her look up at him. Admittedly, Jack cherished those moments when he could just look down at her and feel loved. Without words or actions, Isabelle always let him know that he was truly loved by staring up at him, never blinking and barely breathing.

"I love you, Belle," Jack whispered, as if it were a secret between the two of them. To him those words needed to be said softly, like a hushed secret or part of the magic of the feeling was lost. "I really do."

"Forever and ever?" she questioned, laughing.

"Always," he sincerely replied.

Isabelle stopped laughing and furrowed her eyebrows together as if she was trying to understand Jack. She gave up only a moment later as she wrapped her arms around him. One arm slid around his waist, her hand beneath his shirt and rubbing the soft skin on his back, while the other snaked up his neck and pressed against the back of his head, her fingers entangled in his wild mane.

Leaning up to kiss him, Isabelle closed her eyes tightly and instantly felt Jack's hands in the space between her body and the couch cushions. He trailed her spine with his finger tips and continued kissing her, pressing his hips into hers. Isabelle pulled away, breathless and dazed.

"You know, you were working before I came down…Maybe I should let you get back to that," Isabelle suggested.

"I'm tired of working, it's playtime now," Jack replied, shaking his head and leaning in for another kiss. Isabelle instantly pulled away, pushing her head into the cushion beneath her. "What now?"

"Playtime was earlier, don't you remember?" she questioned.

"Oh, I remember quite vividly," he said, kissing her clavicle. "I remember it so vividly that if I don't get some more playtime soon, I might just revolt."

"Revolt against what exactly, Mr. Mercer?"

"Well, the house rules, of course, Belle." He smirked and slid his hand lower so that it now rested in the small of her back. "Leave wet towels on the floor…Dirty dishes in the sink…Blast loud, obnoxious music while everyone else is trying to sleep…"

"I highly doubt that because then you'd have to deal with the wrath of Haven and Jane. You aren't dealing with your brother's anymore, women are much scarier than Bobby could ever be," Isabelle replied, a humorous tone to her voice.

"Wanna test the loud music theory out right now?" he questioned.

"No," she replied. "Jane and Haven have work in the morning and Keith has school. We make enough noise without blasting music so let's just try to stay on their good side."

"Speaking of morning, what time is it anyway?" Jack asked.

"I don't know, I can't move to look at the clock since you're on top of me cutting off most of my motor skills," she answered, squirming underneath him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, it would definitely make us have another playtime."

Isabelle raised her eyebrows and continued to wiggle beneath him, smiling and laughing. Jack pressed a hand to the side of her face and smiled down at his pre-fiancé. As he bent down to kiss her the red glow of the digital clock caught his eye, it was midnight. Officially five months to the day of when Jack proposed pre-marriage to Isabelle.

"Baby, is something wrong?" Isabelle asked, her voice bringing him out of his thoughts.

"No, nothing's wrong," he replied.

Smirking so widely that his usually full lips nearly disappeared, he leaned down and kissed Isabelle, praying in his mind that his proposal went over better than the last one had. As he pulled away from her he took in a deep breath and then sighed nervously.

"What is going on in your head, Jack?" she questioned, smiling in amusement.

"Isabelle Marie Leary Houston Mercer…" he started, covering all the last names that somehow pertained to Isabelle and causing her to smile. "…Will you marry me?"

Isabelle looked like she hadn't been expecting those words to come out of Jack's mouth. She felt the weight of his body bear down on her and she tried to sit up as she glanced around the room.

"Jack, I'm not ready yet," Isabelle replied.

Instantly, Jack felt crestfallen and he sat up, sliding off of Isabelle. He rested his elbows on his knees, shoving his hands through his hair. He didn't know what to do or say, but he felt the biggest sense of rejection he had ever experienced in his life. If a person who loved him as much as Isabelle did wasn't ready to marry him twice then he thought there must be something wrong with him, something he hadn't seen all this time.

_**1 Month After the Pre-Engagement…**_

_"Is that all of your stuff?" Isabelle asked, as Jack placed the last box labeled 'Jack's Shit' on the living room floor._

_"I think so," he replied. He turned towards Isabelle and walked over to her, arms open to pull her into a hug. "I have to pick up two speakers tomorrow, otherwise all my possessions from Detroit are boxed up and now in your house."_

_"Our house," she corrected. She smiled at him and looped her arms around Jack's neck. "It was nice of you to move out so that Lyn and Bobby could turn your old room into a nursery for the baby."_

_"I had to. I mean, had they turned Bobby's old room into a nursery the kid might of found a gun or a six pack of beer somewhere in the room in the middle of the nigh," he said, smiling. "I gotta protect my nephew or niece. Anyway, I was spending nearly every night at your house anyway. My room was collecting dust from being empty."_

_"What's the baby going to find in your room?"_

_"At most some guitar picks and strings, maybe a missing blunt from when I was fifteen," he admitted._

_"Speaking of which…"_

_"No pot in the house," Jack continued for her. He squeezed her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "You hate it and I've been trying to stop anyway. Also, if I want to smoke cigarettes, I have to do it outside. I know the rules."_

_"I sound so strict."_

_"You know strictness isn't always bad."_

_"Really?" Isabelle asked, smirking up at him. "And how is that, Jack?"_

_"You know how much I love to play naughty sch-"_

_"Okay, I get it," she replied, laughing. Isabelle looked at boxes on the floor and sighed. "You sure it wasn't too early to move in together?"_

_"Given our track record, this was a decision made very slowly." He looked down at her and gently brought a hand up to the side of her face, pushing her hair behind her ear. "Why? Are you regretting offering to let me move in?"_

_"No. I love having you here," she replied. "Keith needs a good male influence."_

_"I'm a good influence?"_

_"As long as you never ever tell him the stories about you and groupies," Isabelle said._

_"What about me and 'girls who aided me in my pursuit to end my sexual frustration'?" Jack questioned,_

_"Maybe when he's sixteen and even that's up for debate. I mean, I'd be okay with it, but my sister, his mother, might just castrate you."_

_"Well, we don't want that, do we?"_

_"Not at all."_

_Isabelle laughed and kissed Jack, pressing her body close to his. Without further provocation, Jack picked Isabelle up from the ground and walked her over to the couch, gently lying her down on it. He carefully slid on top of her, resuming their show of affection only this time they were horizontal, with a bit less clothes and lot more noises, without regard to the fact that the rest of the house was due home at any time._

_Only moments later, Isabelle heard the faint humming of Jane's car engine as it pulled into the driveway. She quickly pushed Jack off of her and they both frantically searched the living room floor for their missing garments. Just as the door swung open, Jack had managed to pull his shirt up over his head and fall back onto the couch pretending to be interested in the show that was on the television screen._

_"Didn't you two hear me pull up?" Jane asked, walking into the room holding two large bags of groceries._

_"Um, no, sorry, we were really immersed in this show," Isabelle replied, self-consciously fixing the way her shirt laid on her body._

_"Really?" her sister questioned, looking at the screen. "I didn't know you two would be so interested about the mating rituals of the wild boar."_

_Isabelle laughed, noticing that the television was on Animal Planet and looked over at Jane, a soft grin on her face, while Jack sunk lower into the cushions on the couch._

_"Okay, I know this is technically your house, Isabelle, but at least give me warning when you and Jack decide to get it on in places other than your bedroom. I'm probably going to have to sanitize that couch now," she joked, walking into the kitchen._

_Seconds later, Keith walked into the house with Haven alongside him. Jane looked over at the couple and laughed, instantly aware of what had been going on before they got home. Keith just looked up at Haven like she was ready to be committed and walked into the kitchen._

_"Shut up," Isabelle said, before Haven could utter a word._

_"I wasn't going to say anything," she replied. She laughed once more and nodded her head towards Jack. "Just a warning though, Jack, you might want to cover yourself or jump into a nice cold shower."_

_Jack grabbed a pillow and placed it in his lap as Jane walked into the kitchen. Looking over at him, Isabelle couldn't help but to smile. She lightly kissed his cheek and stood up._

_"Why don't you go take a shower while I help the others bring stuff in," she said._

_"Are we going to finish this later?" Jack asked. He stood up and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist._

_"Of course…Now go."_

_**2 Months…**_

_"They're fighting again," Isabelle said, walking up the pathway to Bobby and Lyn's house._

_"Bobby's never done this family man thing before, he's nervous about Lyn's pregnancy," Jack replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. "You know when we get pregnant I'll probably be the same way, except for the whole fighting thing…Hopefully."_

_"When we?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow._

_"Yeah, I already have it planned out."_

_"You have it planned out?" She stopped walking and turned to face him. "Have you given any consideration to your girlfriend, namely me, who has to push this future little darling out of her body?"_

_"Darlings, baby," he replied. "Five, maybe more…I want lots of kids."_

_"I am not a cat, Jack Mercer, don't expect me to have a liter of children. Besides, I don't plan on having kids until I get married."_

_"Three months until we're engaged," he reminded her._

_"If I say yes."_

_"And you were planning on saying no?" Jack asked._

_"Well, you have three more months until you find out, don't you?" she teased._

_"You're really going to make me wait three measly months?"_

_"Well, if three months is such a measly amount of time you shouldn't have any problem waiting," she said, smiling. _

_"Twisting my words to get what you want," he joked, sighing._

_"It's my specialty," she replied._

_Isabelle knocked on the door and then let herself in. When Bobby and Lyn were in a heated argument it was best to just barge it since they wouldn't be able to hear over the sounds of their own yelling voices. Just as Jack shut the door behind him, a large book came flying at him, nearly missing his head._

_"I always told you reading was dangerous, Belle," Jack joked, wrapping his arms around her waist._

_Isabelle looked back at Jack and hit him on his good shoulder. He laughed softly and she smirked, it was hard to pretend to be mad at him. She turned away from him and walked towards the kitchen, the source of the noise._

_"Are you two okay?" Isabelle called out._

_"Izzy!" Bobby yelled, striding across the kitchen. He put his arm around her and looked over at his pregnant girlfriend, pride beaming across his smug face. "Finally a fuckin' rational person. If Jack came home late one night-"_

_"Night? It was five in the morning, Bobby!" Lyn yelled, waving her hands._

_"Fine, if Jack came home at five in the mornin' without callin' ya the night before to tell ya that he was gonna be late would you be this pissed?" he questioned, looking at her._

_"Yes," Isabelle stated._

_"Actually, Belle would be worse," Jack corrected. He walked over to the mess on the kitchen floor and started to help Lyn pick up the fallen, or thrown, cookbooks, pots and pans. "She made me sleep on the couch one time when I was two hours late and it was only ten at night."_

_"That is true," she agreed, nodding._

_Jack looked up at Isabelle, a smirk spread across his face. Instantly, they were both thinking the same thing. Isabelle may have made him sleep on the couch, but it doesn't mean she didn't join him on it in the middle of the night._

_"Fuck," Bobby said, interrupting their thought. He released Isabelle from his grip and walked over to Lyn. "Babe, I'm sorry."_

_"You better be," she said, standing up, the small swell of her stomach brushing up against Bobby. "I don't know what the hell you do when you go and quite frankly I don't want to know, but I also don't want to wake up one morning to find out that the father of my child is dead. Do you understand me?"_

_"Yeah," he replied._

_Isabelle and Jack both resisted the urge to laugh. The so-called untamable Michigan Mauler had been whipped and it was quite a sight to see. Bobby kissed the top of Lyn's head and took a step away from her._

_"Why don't you and Izzy go relax, Jack and I got it from here," Bobby said, looking over Lyn's shoulder at his youngest brother. "Right, Jackie?"_

_"Yeah," he replied. He stood up and placed pieces of broken glass into the waste bin. He walked over to Isabelle and gave her soft peck on her cheek. "You two go relax."_

_Isabelle nodded and walked out of the kitchen, Lyn in tow. As they left, they both heard Bobby mutter something about hormones but chose to ignore it. Plopping down onto the couch, perfectly content to just relax while the boys cleaned up the kitchen, Isabelle grabbed the remote and started to flip through channels. Just as she reached something interesting, Lyn walked over to the television set and stood in front of it, her arms crossed over her chest, making her slightly inflated stomach more obvious, and began to tap her foot impatiently._

_"What?" Isabelle questioned, looking up to face her._

_"When were you going to tell me?" Lyn asked, smiling._

_"Tell you what?"_

_"That you're pregnant," she whispered, raising her eyebrows for emphasis. "It's perfect. The two of us pregnant at the same time, making our favorite Mercer boys miserable at the first time."_

_"What are you talking about?" Isabelle muttered, standing up. She grabbed Lyn's arm and pulled her into the hallway so that they were out of Jack and Bobby's hearing range, although they wouldn't be able to hear them in the living room over their brotherly fighting. "I'm not pregnant. What makes you think that?"_

_"I'm pregnant, Izzy, it makes me more perceptive to the vibes that pregnant people send out. Consciously or not."_

_"I'm not, Lyn," Isabelle insisted, shaking her head. She started to walk away but Lyn reached out and grabbed her hand. "What?"_

_"Are you one hundred percent positive?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Really?"_

_Isabelle looked down at the ground and shook her head softly. She couldn't be positive, after all, it was her and Jack. Sometimes, despite their best effort to be careful, they got a bit forgetful in the heat of the moment. Plus, she hadn't had her period in three weeks, not that it had ever been normal. Nervously, she looked up at Lyn, who just smiled._

_"Bobby, honey, Isabelle and I have to run some errands," Lyn called out. She turned towards Bobby and waved goodbye. "We'll be back in a couple of hours."_

_As soon as they got out of the house, Lyn wrapped her arms around Isabelle's shoulder, unable to hide her excitement of her friend being pregnant at nearly the same time as her. Isabelle seemed more nervous than anything. She slid behind the wheel of her car and looked over at Lyn, who was slowly getting in on the passenger side. Isabelle has a dazed look on her face as he hands gripped tightly onto the steering wheel, despite the car still being off._

_"Isabelle, what's wrong?" Lyn asked, gently pulling her friend's hand from the steering wheel._

_"What if I am pregnant?" she questioned rhetorically. "What am I going to do?"_

_"You think Jack's going to be upset?"_

_"No, Jack would be fucking thrilled. When we were walking up your pathway today we were talking and just out of the blue, Jack mentioned how he wanted five kids."_

_"Then what's wrong?"_

_"I don't know if I do. I mean, I'm a waitress and Jack doesn't have a job, he has ideas of grandeur in the music scene and that's it. We barely make enough money to survive and now we might bring a child into this world. It's not responsible."_

_"Isabelle, sweetie, don't get ahead of yourself, maybe I'm wrong," Lyn reminded her._

_Nodding softly, Isabelle looked out the windshield, seeing Jack coming out of the house. She quickly tried to regain her composure as he neared the car. Rolling down the window, she turned to face him, and put on the best smile that she could muster._

_"You forget something?" Jack questioned, swinging the keys in front of her face._

_"Well, that's why the car didn't start," she replied. She reached out for the keys and gently slid them out of his hands. "Thanks."_

_"No problem, baby," he said._

_The term of endearment made Isabelle feel nauseous. She looked down at the keys in her hand and then back up at Jack. He leaned into the open window and kissed her softly, his hand resting on the back of her head. He pulled away slowly, sensing that something was wrong but was unable to identify what it was._

_"You okay?" he asked._

_"Yeah."_

_"I love you," Jack softly told her._

_"I love you, too. I should probably get going though so that we'll be back on time."_

_"Okay." Jack looked across the car towards Lyn who had her eyes facing the dirty floor mat beneath her feet. He looked back at Isabelle and smiled, reached out and squeezing her hand softly. "Drive safely."_

_"I will."_

_Jack stepped away from the car and just as soon, Isabelle rolled up the window and peeled out of the driveway. She drove all the way to the local drug store without she or Lyn saying anything. It wasn't until she parked the car and shut off the engine that the silence was broken._

_"The one thing that a baby needs is the one thing you and Jack have to spare," Lyn said, looking over at Isabelle ._

_"And what is that?"_

_"Love."_

_"That's an idealistic answer."_

_"Really?" Lyn questioned. She shrugged, undid her seatbelt and reached across the car, grabbing Isabelle's hand. Lyn placed Isabelle's hand on her stomach and looked up at her. "That's all that Bobby and I have for this one."_

_Looking at her hand placed on Lyn's stomach Isabelle felt the tears sting her eyes. She pulled her hand away quickly and rested her head on the steering wheel, trying to hide the fact that she was crying. As she started to sob she realized and that it wasn't possible to mask her feelings and even felt comforted by Ly as she gently rested her hand on Isabelle's back._

_"I'm scared," Isabelle whispered._

_**3 Months…**_

_Jack ran through the doors of Harper Hospital, the blood running through his body so fast that he could hear the thumping of his heart in his ears. He ran past the waiting room and towards the nurses' station. There was no way he was going to idly sit by and wait for some prick doctor to tell him what was wrong with Isabelle after making him first wait for two hours._

_"Where is my girlfriend?" Jack demanded, breathless and probably acting much like his eldest brother._

_"Sir, are you-"_

_"Where is my girlfriend?" he repeated, angrily._

_"Sir, I need to know her name," the young nurse replied calmly._

_"Isabelle Leary," he said. He looked down at the desk and sighed as he shoved his hands harshly through his hair._

_"She's in the emergency room still," she informed him._

_"Where in the emergency room?"_

_"Sir, I really-"_

_"Please, stop with the sir crap and tell me where my girlfriend is," Jack begged. "Look, I got a call from my brother's girlfriend telling me that something had happened and that my girlfriend was here. Because my brother's girlfriend is pregnant I couldn't tell if the fear in her voice was from hormones or if something is really wrong with Isabelle. And I can tell you right now that I will not be able to sit calmly in that nice little waiting room of yours without disrupting the rest of the families waiting for news about their loved ones if I don't see my girlfriend first."_

_"I'm sure that everything is fine and as much as I would like to tell you where…"_

_Jack zoned out as the nurse continued speaking. He could see that he was getting nowhere by being the panicked boyfriend that he was. It was humiliating, but he knew what he had to do. With a silent thought of groaning, Jack looked down at the nurse's uniform and read the tag that supplied him with her name._

_"Look, Kylie…Wow, what a pretty name that is," Jack said, trying his best to put on his charm while worrying about Isabelle. "I just need one little number from you." He smirked and leaned across the desk, pushing Kylie's hair behind her ear. "Come on, you can break the rules just once…For me?"_

_Flustered, Kylie looked down at her keyboard and quickly typed something into the computer. Her eyes scanned the screen and she pulled out the pen from her pocket then jotted something down on a bright yellow Post-It. She folded it and slid it across the desk to Jack, a small shy smile spreading across her face._

_"What's this?" Jack questioned, picking it up._

_"The examination room she's in as well as my number," she replied. "You know, in case you two don't make it."_

_"Thanks Kylie…That is a beautiful name," he repeated._

_Jack turned the corner and opened up the Post-It, he looked down at the room number and then tossed the paper in the nearest trash can. He ran towards the emergency room and searched for exam room eight. When he finally found it the door was shut but instead of knocking, he threw it open. Rather, he would have thrown it open, had it not slammed against something hard only inches from it._

_"Fuck!" a loud, gruff voice yelled out. The door was pulled open from the inside and Jack saw his brother standing there, a scowl upon his rough face. "What the fuck, Jack? Learn some fuckin' manners."_

_"Shut up, Bobby. Where's Belle?" Jack asked, stepping into the room._

_"Jack," Isabelle whispered, looking over at her frazzled love._

_Looking over at her, Jack didn't see anything physically wrong with her. Granted, she was a bit paler and she looked exhausted, but nothing that a few hours of sleep wouldn't cure. He walked over to her bed and gently grabbed her hand, letting his thumb ran against the back of it._

_"Baby, what happened?" Jack questioned._

_The room immediately got tense as Isabelle cringed. Jack looked over at Bobby, but caught his brother staring down at the ground, an uncharacteristic move for him. When he looked for Lyn's gaze she too was looking down at the ground but her hand was firmly plastered to her small bump, nearly hidden by an oversized sweatshirt that belonged to Bobby._

_"What's going on?"_

_"Guys can I have some time alone with Jack?" Isabelle questioned._

_"Yeah," Bobby replied, nodding. He took Lyn's hand and walked over to the door. "We're gonna try to find some coffee, ya want some, Jackie?"_

_"No, I'm fine," he replied._

_As soon as the door shut behind the pair, Isabelle closed her eyes tightly. Jack looked at her, afraid to move or say anything. However, when he noticed the tears that escaped her reached out and softly brushed them away._

_"Baby, what is it?"_

_"Please stop calling me baby," she begged, opening her eyes. She looked over at a confused Jack and sighed softly, pulling her hand from his. "Do you remember last month when we went to Lyn and Bobby's for dinner and Lyn and I disappeared for a few hours?"_

_"Yeah."_

_"We left because we thought that there was a chance that I was pregnant. Turns out I was."_

_"Why didn't you tell me? Isabelle, that's amazing," Jack said, smiling and leaning closer to kiss her. She pulled away before he could make contact with her. "What?"_

_"Jack, listen to me…I was pregnant."_

_"Keyword being was," Jack whispered in realization. "What happened?"_

_"I don't know. My stomach was hurting really bad but I didn't think much about it. I was lying on the couch and it just kept getting worse and worse, so I decided to go call Lyn, I thought she might know something since she was a nurse. When I went to get up though, my legs went out from the pain and then there was blood and…"_

_Isabelle stopped talking as tears replaced the words she was trying to say. Jack quickly slid onto the bed and wrapped his arms around her. He held her against his chest, the sobs shaking her body and the tears soaking his shirt. Her whispered sweet words to her as he placed his chin on the top of her head. He knew what she was thinking, knew that she was blaming herself for something she had no control over._

_"I was going to tell you tonight," Isabelle whispered between sobs. "I knew you were going to be excited. You know, the first of our five kids."_

_"It's going to be okay, Belle. We're young, we have our entire lives to try to have kids. Lots of them, maybe we can have more than five…How about seven?" he whispered, kissing the top of her head._

_"What if it happens again?"_

_"Then we can adopt like Ma did. Whatever it takes, we're going to have kids and raise a family together. I promise you, Belle."_

_"It's my fault. I didn't want to be pregnant at first. We're being punished because I was afraid at first," she said. Jack started to protest but she pulled away from him and shook her head. "But last week I went with Lyn to get her sonogram and I saw her baby and I wanted ours more than anything after that, Jack…I really did."_

_"Things happen for a reason, this happened for a reason. Maybe we won't know for a long time why, but eventually we will."_

_**4 Months…**_

_Isabelle sat on the couch, the blanket from Jack and her bedroom wrapped tightly around her. The DVD that they had been watching was paused, leaving Eric Stoltz mid-punch towards the end of "Mr. Jealousy" as Jack whispered on the phone in the kitchen. Isabelle could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation from Jack's end, but the only thing that he continuously repeated was "it's not a good time" and it made Isabelle suspicious. She knew that she had been distant lately, but she thought that Jack would understand it after the incident the previous month, now she was beginning to think that he may have been cheating on her. It was a terrible thing to think, but the thought still took control over her mind._

_Hanging up the phone, Jack sighed and leaned his forehead against the wall. He turned to look into the living room, Isabelle was sitting on the couch staring at the motionless television screen. He slowly walked into the room, hoping that she would lift her head and acknowledge him, but she didn't, par the usual course lately._

_"Who was on the phone?" Isabelle questioned, as Jack sat down beside her._

_"No one important," he replied. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his chest. "Let's put the movie back on."_

_"No."_

_"Come on, you don't want to find out what happens in the end?" he asked lightly._

_"I know the end of the damn movie, Jack, what I want to know was who was on the phone," she replied. Isabelle slipped out of Jack's arms, the blanket long forgotten and turned to face him. "Are you cheating on me?"_

_"What?"_

_"Don't play dumb, Jack. I know I've been different lately, but I thought you would stick with me through it. Or at the very least understand somewhat, not go and find another person to be with."_

_"Isabelle, I am not cheating on you," Jack replied earnestly. He placed his hands on her shoulders and peered into her eyes. "I swear I am not cheating on you. I promised you that I would never do that to you again. I know better."_

_"Then why won't you tell me who's on the phone?"_

_"Because I didn't want you to get upset. It was a booking agent for this club called Spyder," Jack said with a small sigh. "He was just calling because he had heard me at this dive bar back when I was with my old band and was asking if I was available to fill in for the lead singer of their house band, apparently their singer is rehab."_

_"Jack, that's great," Isabelle said, excitedly. "Well, for you, I mean, not so much for the old lead singer. So why did you say that now wasn't such a good time?"_

_"So you were listening in on my conversation," he said, ignoring the question._

_"Jack…"_

_"Belle…" He sighed defeated and closed his eyes. "It's in New York."_

_"We can move there if you want. I mean, I'm sure it's probably better there than it is in Detroit," she replied. "I can find a waitressing job there and you'll have a job. It will probably make things a bit more easy financially."_

_Jack shook his head softly and got Isabelle to turn around so that her back rested against his chest. He snaked his arms around her waist and held onto her tightly. With a small sigh, he kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes._

_"New York isn't where we need to be right now."_

_"And Detroit is?" Isabelle questioned._

_"Isabelle, we went through a lot last month, you need family close by."_

_"Don't tell me what I need, Mercer."_

_"Fine, I need family near right now," he replied. His arms tightened around her, comfortably gripping onto her so that it was as if she was nearly the same entity as him. "I don't know how we would have made it to this point without Bobby and Lyn, or your sister and Haven…Hell, even Keith."_

_"I know, but this could be your big break."_

_"And it will come again, I have faith in that."_

_Isabelle craned her neck around to face Jack, a smile present on his face. She smirked at him, unable to understand the confidence he had in the situation. She turned back around and placed her hands over his, cuddling closer to him._

_"Can I ask you something?" Jack questioned._

_"Yes."_

_"Why would you think I was cheating on you?"_

_"I've been less than approachable lately," she replied. She rolled over in his arms so that she was lying down on top of him, chest to chest. "I mean, since what happened I haven't really been there for you in that way anymore."_

_"What way?" Jack asked teasingly. "You can't say it, can you?"_

_"Leave me alone," she replied, laughing. _

_"Not until you say it," he said_

_"I've said it before."_

_Jack grabbed tightly onto her waist and rolled over so that she was beneath him. Isabelle reached behind her and grabbed one of the pillows off of the couch and smacked Jack with it. He laughed softly, shaking his head._

_"A month of being abstinent and you can't even say sex, can you?" He kissed the side of her neck and smiled as a small moan emitted from deep within her throat. "Do you miss having sex?"_

_"You are being as perverted as you can possibly be, aren't you?" Isabelle question, half-distracted by the feeling of Jack's lips brushing against her skin._

_"No sex in a month, how are you not mauling me?"_

_"Easy up, sweetie. Keith and Shelby are going to be home any minute," she replied, pushing him away. She smiled at him as he pulled away dejectedly. "Seriously, who would've thought that we would like sex…Yes, I can say it….So much? I mean, just look at what we went through."_

_"I have a theory."_

_"Is this a real theory or an I'm-trying-to-get-Belle-into-bed theory?"_

_"Wait and see, will you?" he muttered. "Anyway, as I was saying, my theory is that we don't really love sex all that much, we just love sex with each other. I mean, it's twenty times better with you than it ever was with some random girl."_

_Isabelle nodded and laid her head on the couch cushion, all the while knowing that Jack wanted the same recognition of how she thought Jack was better than her past lovers. She smirked secretly as she noticed the flustered look on Jack's face. She met his eyes, pretending to not understand what he wanted._

_"Well..." Jack started._

_"Well, what?"_

_"Aren't you going to say something here?"_

_"Oh, well, you were better than Ian, but Gavin, that's a close one, honey."_

_"Really?" _

_Jack kissed her gently, his hands tracing the length of Isabelle's arm as his tongue pried open her welcoming mouth. She closed her eyes, focusing all her energy on the feeling of the intense kiss, so that when Jack pulled away she felt lost for a moment_

_"You kiss better than Gavin ," she replied after regaining her composure. "But I was trying to figure out who fucks better."_

_"But we don't fuck, we make love, don't you remember?"_

_"I guess you'll have to show me tonight." _

_Looking down at her, Jack carefully searched her eyes, trying to figure out if that was what she really wanted. Isabelle sensed it and reached one hand up to gently embrace his face._

_"I wouldn't have told Jane, Shelby, and Keith to clear out of the house later tonight if I didn't want this," she informed. "Well, it was either our sexual reunion or the night I castrated you for being a cheating bastard."_

_"I'm glad it's the first one."_

_"Me too."_

_"Maybe we should put the movie back on," Jack suggested, slowly sliding off of her. "Or I'm just going to be continuously think of you in a sexy black negligee."_

_"Who said anything about negligees?"_

_"Come on, don't ruin the image that this sex starved man has had for the past month."_

_"Fine, but I do need to ask you something." She paused for a moment as she sat up and watched his face, gently taking in the sight of her. "Do you still want five kids?"_

_"Yes," he said without hesitation._

_"Me, too."_

_"Then we have a lot of work to do, don't we?"_

_"But there is a condition to this family thing," Isabelle said sternly._

_"What's that?"_

_"Next time you have a chance to go do the rock star thing, do it, Jack. I don't want you being with me or having a family to stop you from that. Do you understand me?"_

_"Yes, ma'am."_

_"Good."_

_"So, when does everyone get home and, more importantly, when do we get to kick them out again?"_

Jack stood up trying to rationalize the reason for Isabelle rejecting his proposal but he couldn't do it. Sure, they had hard times but there was never a moment where they weren't there for one another. Isabelle slowly slid into an upright position on the couch and watched Jack pace around the room. She didn't mean to hurt him, that wasn't her intent.

Isabelle looked across the room at the glowing red lights of the digital clock that had started it all. She stood up and walked over to Jack, gently pressed her hands against his chest and causing him to stop pacing. She squatted slightly so that she could get a look at his eyes but he just quickly looked up out the window.

_12:03…_

"Tell me why you won't marry me? Is it because I can't afford a new ring?" Jack asked, ashamed. "I promise as soon as I can I'd get a beautiful ring. Gold and diamonds, whatever you wanted."

"No, sweetie, I love Evelyn's ring, I'd be so honored to wear it."

"I don't understand, Belle."

Jack took a step away from her, burying his hands so deep in his hair the little tuffs stuck out between his tightened fingers. He plopped back down onto the couch and closed his eyes. Too many emotions were flooding him.

_12:04_

"Do you love me?" he questioned.

"Yes, so much," she replied. She kneeled down in front of him, looking up at him sympathetically. "Jack, honey, I didn't say no because I don't love you. I will always love you. It's impossible not to fall in love with you."

"Then why?"

_12:05_

The glint of the clock caught Isabelle's eye one last time and she sighed, a soft smirk gently crossing her face. Jack opened his eyes and upon seeing this got slightly angry.

"I'm glad you find this amusing," he muttered.

"Jack, ask me again," Isabelle said, resting her hands on his knees.

"Why? So I can be humiliated again? No thanks," he said.

"Jack, ask me again," she insisted, persistently.

"Fine…" He leaned back so that he was resting far into the couch and looked down at Isabelle, kneeling on the floor. "Isabelle, will you marry me?"

"Yes."

"Why must you humil…Wait, yes?"

"Yes," she repeated, smiling.

Jack quickly lifted her off of the floor pulled her on top of him. He moved so that they were lying down flat on the couch, her on top of him and he leaned up, kissing her passionately and smiling at the same time.

"Say it," Jack whispered sweetly, kissing her neck.

"Yes, Jack Mercer, I will marry you," she replied.

Isabelle gently tangled her hands in his hair and moaned softly at the intensity of his lips on her skin. After a minute, when the passion of the positive answer had passed, Jack pulled away, confused at Isabelle's easily changed mind. Before he could say anything Isabelle gently kissed his lips and smiled.

"The clock is five minutes fast, it wasn't midnight yet," she replied.

"And that was worth getting me worried?"

"Kind of," she said. She laughed, running a hand against his cheek. "You get all cute when you're flustered. Plus, I'm not doubting that I made you a bit mad, and that just means we get to have great make-up sex combined with engagement sex, which I am sure is going to blow our make-up/pre-engagement sex out of the water."

"Better believe it," Jack said, raising his eyebrows.

Isabelle hurriedly slid off of Jack and grabbed his hand, pulling him off of the couch. He eagerly pulled her back up against his chest and started to kiss the side of her neck. She felt her feet slowly leaving the floor as Jack slid his hand beneath her legs and lifted her up into his arms. She didn't resist as he carried her up the stairs to their room.

As soon as the door shut behind them, Jack laid Isabelle down on the bed and slid on top of her. He started to gently tug at his shirt that Isabelle was wearing for pajamas. She sighed softly disapprovingly and reached down to push his hands away from the hem of it.

"What's wrong , Belle?" he asked, a bit breathless.

"As much fun as I know this is going to be, it wouldn't technically be make-up and engagement sex if I didn't have my lovely, Evelyn Mercer passed down to her favorite soon-to-be daughter-in-law ring on, now would it?" she asked, lightheartedly.

"No, it wouldn't," he agreed.

Jack reached over to the bedside drawer where he had kept for five months and smiled. He opened the box slowly and looked down at Isabelle, the two of them unable to stop smiling. He reached for her left hand and delicately slid the ring onto her finger.

"Perfect fit," Isabelle whispered, as she held her hand up so that it was just beside Jack's face and she could see both her ring and fiancé in the same frame. "Absolutely perfect."

Jack leaned down and kissed her again. He was happy, he couldn't hide it, not that he wanted to. He knew that had Evelyn been around she would have been so proud of him. As he pulled away from Isabelle she looked up at him with eyes so loving that he couldn't fathom why he thought he negative reply was nothing more than a miscommunication. He gently ran his hand along his the side of her face, watching her as she closed her eyes in contentment.

"So, Belle, where do you want to get married?" Jack questioned.

"New York," she answered without opening her eyes.

"What?"

"That club Spyder called again, asked if you would reconsider the house band job, I told them you did and that you would love to work with them," she informed him, opening her eyes and watching his reaction. "We leave in a week."

"Are you sure?"

"It's all meant to be," she replied.

"How can you be so certain?" Jack asked.

"Evelyn told me when I was sixteen that no matter what you and me would always be connected." She smirked at him and shrugged. "I want you to be happy, Jack, and I'm not willing to let you go. So some sacrifices have to be made and if that means New York, then New York will be home. You're worth it, babe."

"I don't deserve you."

"That is true," she replied, laughing. "But I'll keep you anyway. I don't have enough time to trade you in for another hot soon to be rock star and train him."

"Isabelle, I…" Jack smiled and shook his head.

"I know, I'm wonderful and amazing and you love me so much, same goes for you, Mr. Mercer, but I have a better way for you to show me that," she replied. She reached for the bottom of the shirt she was wearing and pulled it off, throwing it to the floor. "Are you getting the idea?"

"Definitely."

The next morning when Jack woke, Isabelle lay sleeping in his arms, the thin gray sheet covering her. He gently unwrapped his grip on her and slid out of bed, clad only in his boxers. He made his way over to the mirror, the reflection of his fiancée sleeping in one side and the reflection of his mother in the other, the same clothes she had been wearing the day that Isabelle had left to move in with her sister.

"Things aren't going to be the same between Belle and I, are they?" Jack asked, the same question he had pondered they day she had left.

Evelyn hadn't replied that first time but now she smiled her warmest smile and shook her head. She reached out and touch the side of Jack's face, though he could not truly feel it, seeing it in the reflection of the mirror it almost felt as if he could.

"No, Jackie, things are going to be different. But who said different is bad?" she questioned.

"I love you, ma," he whispered.

There was a slight stirring the bed behind him and he turned quickly to face Isabelle as she woke. She sat up and looked over at Jack, a sleepy smile playing up her features. She stretched softly, the sheet crinkling as she did so.

"Who were you talking to?"

"Ma," Jack answered, knowing that she would understand.

"Was it a good conversation?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was really good," he replied.

Jack turned back to the mirror but Evelyn's image had already disappeared. He watched the reflection of Isabelle slowly get out of bed and wrap the sheet around her body. She walked up behind him and opened the sheet so that she could engulf him in it as well. Jack turned to face her and smiled.

"Having any second thoughts about any of this?" he asked, picking up Isabelle's left hand and looking at her ring.

"No." She laughed and buried her head in his shoulder. "So, who gets to tell Bobby?"

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

What did you think??? Anyway, thank you all for reading!!! And every review I get for this chapter will get a nice reply, as long as I can reply to said reviewers review. LOL, btw, watch "Alpha Dog" I hate Justin Timberlake and I still liked the movie (which had nothing to do with the otherwise bangin' cast, I promise, lmao.)

4everdreaming (Sorry, not wedding or birth, but if I do indeed do that little follow-up one chapter story there might be, lol.)  
5oclockautumn  
Bigamericanflirt  
brandy2009  
EbonyRose02  
iszgarretthedlund  
JustAnotherFallen  
LaLaLover (Yeah, I couldn't imagine Bobby being a daddy at first either and I am not really sure why I wrote it, except for the fact that it is a hilarious picture in one's mind...lol.)  
RedHot911  
Rogue21493  
sadvirtue  
Shining Star of Valinor (No need to hunt me down! I wrote it, it just took forever to post...lol. LOL, the where do babies come from thing is hysterical. Like I said, if there's enough interest I will go a finisher-upper in the form of a one chapter sequel story, but I gotta feel the love from the reviewers, lmao.)  
Trizzy (Hahaha, Bobby with a baby hammock and of course his usually gun in his pocket taking down the bad guys...LMAO.)  
XxCrashAndBurnXx


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